Say Yes
by Chaser555
Summary: Foreman and Chase make a bet. For an entire week, Chase has to say yes whenever he receives a romantic offer - no matter who it is from. So what happens when House develops romantic feelings for the young Aussie? And what happens when he is not the only one to show an interest? The team is Chase, Foreman, Taub and Masters.
1. Chapter 1

House smiled to himself. He enjoyed it when his sometimes child-like team members had an argument going. He would of course make an effort to be the one to start an argument most days, and exactly that made him feel so in control and satisfied with himself. These free mornings without cases could be so much fun. Although to be fair, it seemed as though his ducklings were quick to adjust and do things on their owns without his interference. They hardly needed him to start the arguments anymore – they could find plenty of things to fight over themselves.

This morning, it was Foreman who started the fun as they were looking through some possible cases. One patient's file after another - nothing interesting yet. Everyone looked up from the papers spread across the surface of the table as Chase walked in the diagnostics room. He was ten minutes late and had been making a habit of it for almost a week now. Ten minutes wasn't that bad considering how House himself liked to sometimes sleep in and make up crappy excuses to an angry Cuddy. But for some reason, it was getting on everybody's nerves. Because they all knew exactly why the Aussie doctor was late. Chase was one big smile when he shut the door behind him, not even bothering to do it quietly. He looked goofy and overly joyful instead of embarrassed and regretful. He looked proud. Proud to be late once again.

"'Morning, people! Lovely day, isn't it?" His voice was very light and relaxed, making his accent slightly thicker and noticeable. He removed his jacket and tossed it over the back of a chair along with his messenger bag. As he was finally seated at the table, all eyes were on him. Tired, annoyed eyes – even Masters looked at him accusingly. House was giving him a grumpy look as usual and it made him chuckle a little too loudly. "Gotta love the atmosphere in this room. It's nice to feel so welcomed!" Chase added with a smile and grabbed one of the files.

"Oh, you are very welcome indeed," House answered him, trying to imitate the light and careless voice of his employee, "in fact, you are so welcome in this room that is would be nice to see you making an appearance even earlier tomorrow morning. As early as your fellow team members, shall we say? Now, that would be jolly good for a change!"

Chase raised an eyebrow, but his smile remained the same. He knew he wasn't really in trouble. Besides, it was easier for him to get away with things now that his wife had left him. It was as though people expected a certain reaction from him which hadn't really showed yet. A mental breakdown, perhaps. So when he was acting all happy and healthy instead, people just went along with it, making sure not to get in his way or do anything to ruin his good spirit. People were now used to letting him do whatever made him so god damn satisfied with his complicated life. Even when it included his flirting with the giggling nurses and showing up late as a consequence of that.

Foreman exchanged looks with an apparently indifferent Taub who only shrugged his shoulders. Then he opened up his mouth, ready to offer his opinion and start a new argument. (House wouldn't mind, that was for sure).

"So who was it today, Chase?" he asked, making eye-contact with his blond, blue-eyed, immature and slightly younger fellow. "Was it Sarah? Or Molly, or perhaps Wendy again? One of the nurses stalled you, I'm sure. Made you forget all about the time!"

Chase laughed at that and leaned back in his seat, not even trying to deny what Foreman had said. "Since when do you care who it was?" he asked. "Unless you're jealous? Perhaps you're interested in one of the nurses yourself and you want me to back off?"

"Yeah right! I know exactly what your type is and let me just say, I couldn't be less interested. Most people have standards, in case you haven't noticed. It's like you pick a new one every day, no matter how slutty or witless they come… I swear, those girls are getting dumber on a daily basis!"

"Whoa, Foreman! Enough with the prejudices!" Chase sent him a very surprised, yet amused glare. "What have you got against the nurses?"

"Yeah, Foreman, did they turn you down or something?" Taub offered with a wry smile, never noticing how House had folded his hands behind his head, leaning back into his seat. He was enjoying this already. "Even I got lucky with one of the nurses." He added proudly, even when everybody was aware of his guilty conscience. They knew all about his troubled marriage.

"Right," Masters interfered with a huff and kept her eyes on her sheet of paper, "it was only _one_ of the nurses…"

Taub looked frustrated by her comment, but decided to play it cool and not object to what she had said. God, it was easy for her to be so judgmental when she had so little experience and was so young herself.

Foreman decided to ignore Taub and Masters, so he turned to Chase with a straight, serious face. "I don't get involved with the nurses – things get complicated and you might get in trouble. Girls talk and I'm sure you've already pissed off a lot of them by never calling them back. They might start a club one of these days and at their meetings, they will all discuss how much they despise you."

"Oh yeah!" House exclaimed. "I know all about those clubs! I'm responsible for at least a hundred of them! People are so sensitive, aren't they? They take everything literally, even when you're only promising them to give them a call to be polite!"

Chase smiled at House's statement, but made sure to answer Foreman in all seriousness. "Look, I never get involved for real, so what's the harm? Anybody knows I'm not ready for anything serious anyway. It's all about the fun of it. When was the last time you did something fun?"

"When was the last time you did something responsible?" Foreman knew that people thought of him as a killjoy, but his days of reckless, childish and selfish behaviour were over. He'd grown up and he was always professional at work, so he didn't understand why Chase didn't seem to follow his example. How old was he now? 30? He was still acting like a teenager who was too popular for his own good and not used to consider the consequences of his actions. Foreman knew that the divorce must have been devastating for him, but this was not the way of dealing with it. Throwing himself into the arms of anybody who wanted him… And unfortunately, most people seemed to welcome his company. How many people could one man stand to be with? When would he get enough of strangers and shallow, meaningless conversations with people who didn't know him at all?

"Right, it was kind of you, Foreman, to remind us all what a party pooper you are. Don't look so surprised, Masters, when did you ever see the man enjoy himself anyway?" House knew that Foreman would be offended by this, which was why he continued. "How fun the world must be inside your head! All that professionalism – I envy you so much!"

House batted his eyes and Foreman knew that he was being made fun of. He pouted, changed his position in the chair slightly and said as calmly as possible. "Look, it's not me who's being a party pooper. It's Chase who's being irresponsible and, well, promiscuous if you ask me!"

Chase's eyes widened at that. "Is that your professional way of calling me a slut?"

Now it was Taub and Masters who exchanged nervous looks, suddenly fearing the development of this conversation. They both just wanted to stay out of it.

House couldn't help but to study Chase without anyone noticing it. He was the pretty and handsome one of the ducklings and on top of that, very charming and aloof. No, that was an understatement. House didn't want to admit it, but he often thought to himself that Chase was the most attractive person he'd ever come across. It wasn't just the confidence and the playfulness, making him very fun and interesting to work with. There was something so golden about him. Maybe it was the blond hair, the blue eyes and the beautiful smile. The tan, the slim, fit body, the Aussie accent. It was all something which he very much appreciated in his employee. But it was also more than just that. According to Cameron, he wasn't damaged or broken like she preferred her men to be. But she never understood his person, did she? His mother's untimely death and his father's absence had made the kid all scared to be on his own. He was used to it, but he obviously hated it. It was like he had a constant need for other people's company. He wasn't clingy or needy; he was very laid-back about his personal issues. But behind the smiling façade, House saw someone very lonely, like himself, who longed for other people to recognize and acknowledge him. He needed approval and acceptance, even if he had to go from nurse to nurse on a daily basis to find it. He said he wasn't ready for anything to get serious, but that didn't mean he wasn't longing for love in his life. Now that House thought about it, Cameron must have been out of her mind. Because to him, Chase seemed like one of the most damaged, conflicted and self-contradicting people he had ever met.

Now the blond doctor was looking at his fellow team member with a very neutral facial expression. He wasn't smiling anymore, but neither did he look upset. "I'm not being a slut, Foreman, even if that's what you think. I'm merely a people person, did you ever think of that? Maybe you're the one who's too picky and too quick to turn other people down and judge them. You don't like the company of others which is fine by me, but don't judge the ones who do."

Foreman huffed and for the first time in ages, he even offered a wry smile. "So you're a people person, huh Chase? You're fine with being around people all the time, flirting with anyone who looks at you?"

"Well, I'm not uptight." Chase started to relax again and he laughed: "And I don't mind getting attention from others. That only makes my day more fun!"

"In that case…" Foreman paused and let his elbows rest on the table. "What do you say we make a bet? Because I don't believe you're serious. You must be turning at least someone down every now and then."

"Why should I? If people want to be friendly to me, why should I stop them?"

"All right then. If that's true, it would sure make my bet more fun for you!"

"What bet?" Taub asked. He couldn't help but feeling slightly curious now.

Foreman looked at everyone around the table, making sure that all team members were paying attention. If he was to make a bet with a white, rich kid, he wanted witnesses. "I don't think you can go one week without turning someone down, Chase. But if you can, I owe you 100 bucks. Just to be clear, though, this means that you'd have to say yes to anybody who asks you out or shows interest in you. If you are hit on ten times a day, you will still have the energy to act on it. Understood?"

"What the hell are you trying to prove, Foreman? That I _am_ a slut who's way too easy to get into bed?" Chase looked rather sceptical. He didn't mind the idea of making a bet at all; in fact he had often encouraged bets himself. But this didn't make any sense.

"I am merely testing your statement. You said you were a people person. Now, prove it. Show me how much you enjoy the company of others even if that means not having any time to yourself. Show me how you make people happy with your presence, show me how you're a party animal and I'm a party pooper." Foreman smiled and it made him look slightly vicious. "Don't worry, maybe you're not as popular as you think and you won't get too many offers. Maybe you have overestimated yourself completely. Are you willing to find out?"

Chase paused, his hesitation making everyone stare at him. He felt pressured all of a sudden. "I don't know." He cleared his throat and thought for a second. "What if the entire hospital found out about the bet? Rumours spread, you know."

"Oh, come on already!" House exhaled dramatically and made a hand gesture to say that he didn't have time for this. "Foreman is finally being fun and you are not agreeing to his brilliant idea? Now, we can't have that! The party pooper needs someone to encourage his new way of thinking!"

"Yeah, Chase, come on," Taub agreed and nodded his head, "take one for the team! This will be very entertaining indeed."

"Guys, don't you think you should let Chase make his own de-" As always, Masters was interrupted, this time by Chase himself who got up from his seat and said:

"No, I'll do it. I still don't get what you're trying to prove, Foreman, but you've got yourself a deal. One week, I'll be the perfect Yes-man and you will owe me 100 dollars."

Foreman stood up to shake his team mate's hand and after that, the room became very silent. House was so caught up in his own thoughts; he couldn't believe that this agreement had actually been made. It was almost too good to be true.

"Now, let's find a case, shall we guys? Time to be professionals again!" Masters uttered, but House could not care less about work at this moment. Very abruptly he got off his seat, grabbed his cane and glared at his surprised employees.

"Would you kids excuse me for a moment? Momma's got a date with your favourite uncle Wilson!"

And with those words he had left the diagnostics room, sweat already starting to form under his thinning hairline. As he walked down the hall, he held his breath without noticing it. His heart was pounding so hard, he thought he'd have a blackout.


	2. Chapter 2

House was standing outside Wilson's office, desperately leaning against the wall. He grabbed his aching leg, the other hand already resting on his own forehead. Was he going crazy? He was overpowered by the images in his head – images that he was just too familiar with. They had been haunting him for days now. And even though the images had only been created in a dream, they seemed real enough to make his heart and head ache…

He was standing in his own bedroom. He was calmly looking at the other person still resting in his bed, sound asleep. House couldn't see the sleeping face, only the strands of blond, messy hair. This shouldn't freak him out, though. He was used to sleeping with blondes. Prostitutes with golden locks so long, so bright that it just _couldn't _be all natural, but who cared about natural? House never did, or so he thought. Right until this moment. He was quietly watching this sleeping, blond beauty and all of a sudden he knew that this was the real thing. As natural as they came.

House watched himself moving closer to the bed. Even in his own dreams he needed his trusted cane for this. He sat down on the very edge of the mattress, suddenly afraid that his movements would make the other person stir and come to life. House wasn't ready for the confrontation. His heart was pounding in his chest and his stomach felt like it had become the cage of a hundred butterflies. How awful – since when was he ever thinking in clichés?

He took in a deep breath, finding the courage to take a proper look at the sleeping blond. He'd known it right from the start and yet it was still shocking to have it confirmed; the beautiful blond was very much a young male. Not even a random prostitute but his own employee for years. A person that he knew so well, but then again maybe not… Because he had never seen this coming – the young Robert Chase sleeping in _his _bed.

The kid wasn't just asleep under the sheets – _House's _sheets! – he had gotten all comfortable too, for crying out loud! Like he was feeling at home. House was very well aware of the fact that he was in the nude. His lower body was covered, but his naked back was showing and House was struggling not to look. It was impossible. The kid was lying on his stomach, hugging one of the pillows, his face all relaxed. (And what a pretty face that was!) It was like an open invitation; Chase knew how drawn to him House would feel and now he was teasing the older doctor's self control. It was close to non-existing as House moved closer, laid down by the other man's side. After a moment filled with Chase's peaceful breaths, House gathered the courage to reach out his hand and touch the kid's back. Who knew that a naked back could be something so attractive, so heart-breakingly beautiful to watch? His skin was so golden brown… There was something so youthful about the almost 30-year-old. His built was still very slender, not like a teenager's but perhaps a man in his early 20's, his waist was so slim and his hipbones clearly visible – at least if House pulled down the sheets a bit, which he did. He was filled with a sudden urge to bite down on the other man's hip. Just to wake him up, just to hear his voice, just to get a taste of his golden skin…

Something inside of House started hurting. He hadn't felt this way about anyone for ages – he hadn't felt this fascinated, this thrilled, this turned on – this alive. It was as though he was beginning to feel younger himself. Younger and more daring. And now, now he was afraid that this blissful moment would flee and disappear only to be forever lost. He couldn't let that happen without doing something first. So he leaned forward and kissed the lips of his pretty, gorgeous, _delicious_ duckling. And it felt so good – it felt like a burden coming to an end, a pain being eased. And House had had so many pains in his life. The kiss lasted a few seconds only, but it was enough for the other man to suddenly sigh and turn on to his side. Before he had the chance to open up his eyes, House had placed a hand on his bare chest. He wasn't willing to lose the bodily contact even if it meant that Chase would get freaked out and tell him to let go. He could feel the warmth of his skin and the regular beating of his heart…

"House?" The younger man asked, apparently taken by surprise. And the two of them made eye-contact.

"Is this okay?" House asked him with a steady voice that didn't even reveal his inner hesitance. He was only waiting for the blond to bat his hand away, telling him to respect his personal space when…

Chase smiled at him. Sleepily, but convincingly. He was still relaxed and that pretty face of his didn't look troubled or offended at all. And then he replied: "It's okay – but this is better!" Before House could even understand what had happened, the sneaky little Wombat of an Australian had embraced his boss fully, pulling both of them closer to each other. With a pair of arms wrapped around him, House held his breath as the blond let his head rest on his chest. He couldn't move. He was too scared that he would wake from the dream.

"Why're you so tense?" Chase giggled, already starting to fall asleep again.

"I'm not!" House assured him, stroking the messy strands of blond hair before wrapping his own arms around the waist of his employee. He didn't care that he was naked, he didn't care how this looked; he pulled Chase so close to him that they might as well have been glued together.

Standing all by himself outside of Wilson's office, House thought to himself that it had been the happiest he had felt in years. Even if this sense of happiness had to be false. It was the kind of thing that only ever happened in dreams, making the real world so sad and lonely to return to. As badly as he wanted to go back, he was also incredibly frightened. He was acting out of character which he most certainly didn't care for. The sweaty palms and the shortness of breath was for stupid teens falling in love for the first time. He should know himself better than this. It was dangerous for a man like him to get his hopes up.

He needed Wilson to remind him of exactly that. So he quickly recovered from his own state of personal despair and went inside.

It was no surprise to Wilson when House appeared in his office without even knocking the door. Nor when he was rude to the patient having a serious conversation with the oncologist. Maybe it was a life and death kind of conversation, but House didn't care much for that. He sat down, impatiently. Frowned at the crying woman sitting opposite to Wilson. If she was really dying, why would she waste her precious time here anyway?

"House, that was rude. As always." Wilson commented as the woman finally left. "She's going through a tough-"

"Period?" House offered, barely able to hide the smirk on his face. "Yeah, PMS'ing women are the worst!"

"You know it's not something to make fun of. A few days ago she received the news that-"

"Shut up for a sec, Wilson." House cut him off and took place in front of the desk, in the seat which still smelled like crying, hysteric female. House pictured the flow of tears and the running nose and frowned at the thought. He hoped she hadn't left a snotty handkerchief behind somewhere. "Do you remember the dreams I told you about some time ago? Well, last week as well, I suppose."

Wilson looked up. He hadn't seen this change of topic coming. "The dreams you had about the beautiful blond in your bed? How could I forget? Even if you never revealed the identity of your new crush to me…"

"Hey, the man of my dreams is very shy, show some respect!" House replied, fixing his gaze at his friend's facial expression at this revelation.

"Did you just say the _man _of your dreams? You're joking, right?"

"Don't worry, Wilson, it's not you! You're not blond anyway, are you?" House smirked. "I'm not kidding. Now, do you see why I felt the need to talk about it?"

"House, forgive me – I had no idea. It never occurred to me that you-"

"I'm not gay!" House cut him off, impatiently. "Hell, I'm not even bi! It's only this one male, there hasn't been anyone else. Which is why I don't know whether I should act on it or not. You see, I very recently discovered that there might be a way for me to – to achieve something with this particular person. I just don't know if it's wise or not."

Wilson studied his friend for a moment. At first he could have sworn it was a prank, but now… There was something in House's eyes. Was it hurt or angst? Confusion maybe? Wilson knew that he had been lonely for quite a while. And whenever someone caught his eye, he would usually let it go by without telling anyone and without doing something about it. House would often flirt with women, though, but Wilson quickly came to realize that he only did so when they didn't really mean anything to him. Hence, their rejecting him wouldn't feel devastating in any way.

"House," he began and tried to consider his words carefully, "I think you should do something this time. If you're really feeling something for this person and you think you have a chance, just go for it. You'll hate yourself if you never even try."

House tried to hold back a bitter laughter. "Oh but then again, Wilson, there are things you don't know about this case. Important things!"

"Like what?"

"For starters, what if I told you it was someone who works at the hospital? And that you know him well!"

"A colleague? Are you serious?" Wilson's mouth was wide open as he was trying to let the new details sink in. He still couldn't believe it. "Wait, please don't tell me it's Taub!"

"Of course it's not Taub!" House exclaimed and grimaced. "Now, that dude has got himself into a pretty nasty situation with his wife, do you think I would really get in the middle of that? Besides, you can't kiss someone with a nose that big!"

Wilson smiled at his friend, not even bothered to defend the poor team member. "House, who is it? You have to tell me the truth now."

House sighed, scratching his own neck hesitantly. "It's Chase." He finally uttered. "Go ahead and tell me it's never going to happen, because that's what I have been telling myself."

Wilson shook his head. "Chase? Actually, House, I don't find it that hard to believe. I've heard you make jokes about his hair and well, his good looks in general. I should have known there was a reason for that! Now that I think about it, I'm really glad it's him. I think the two of you have more in common than you are willing to admit!"

"Oh yeah?" House snorted. "Do I also have the body of a surfer and the _ghastly_ accent of our British friend?" House never told Wilson, but he could hear Chase's voice inside his head as he objected: _I'm Australian. _It made him smile.

"Look, you both know what it's like to be alone." Wilson knew that this was a delicate topic, but House needed persuasion. "And you've both had to deal with people walking out of your lives – repeatedly! Hell, I bet he's even the only team member who laughs at your jokes instead of scolding you like Cameron did!"

At the mention of Cameron, it occurred to House that Chase should have hated him and blamed him for the divorce, but when Cameron did leave him – already having admitted her feelings for House several times – he didn't say a word. Neither did he seem to even hold a grudge after the Tritter-incident. After House himself had _punched_ him in the face. It occurred to him that Chase always seemed to forgive him, no matter how cruel or selfish he could behave. But what was he supposed to make of this forgiveness?

"Actually, Wilson, you might be on to something." House admitted and tightened the hold of his cane. "There's still one problem, though. Even if I did try to make it with him one of these days, I wouldn't be the only one to do so."

"Yeah I know, Chase has been going out with a lot of nurses, hasn't he?"

"Oh, to hell with the nurses! He doesn't care about them, he's just trying to entertain himself. Like I do with the prostitutes." House smiled proudly, even when Wilson argued that he shouldn't compare the nurses to the prostitutes. "Anyway, the thing is – Foreman made a bet with Chase. And now things are complicated. I could really use your help."

"My help?" Wilson felt nervous all of a sudden. When House needed something from him, he'd usually get into trouble. "What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to spy on Chase." House said very boldly. "I want you to watch him and who ever he's with. And I want you to find out if he seems to be in love with any of them. Because the thing is, Chase will be seeing a lot of people this week! _A lot!_"

Wilson didn't follow him at all, but ended up asking: "How do you know he'll be seeing a lot of people?"

House smirked again. He was ready to tell Wilson his very favourite part of the story. He would not only reveal the nature of Foreman's bet, but also the nature of his latest dreams involving Chase sleeping in his bed.


	3. Chapter 3

Wilson still couldn't forget the dreams House had described to him. They had seemed so intimate – so profound. It wasn't like him. He had seen the light in his friend's eyes as he was going through the dreams in his head again. Not even a madman like House could be faking this. He had looked away when Wilson commented on what he had described, almost too scared to find out what the oncologist thought of his inner desires and fantasies. And when Wilson didn't judge him, but had looked as though he was mesmerized by the story, House sighed in relief. Apparently these new feelings meant a great deal to him.

At first, though, Wilson had thought it was insane of House to ask him to spy on Chase. It seemed so exaggerated and unnecessary – even if Chase really did take Foreman's stupid bet seriously. He had almost refused, respecting his colleague's privacy too much. But the very next day, it occurred to Wilson that the new affairs triggered by the bet were barely private anyway. He found himself looking at Chase, surrounded by giggly nurses and it hit him why House had been acting so worried.

Chase was smiling at each and every one of them, as if he was afraid to exclude someone. He looked calm, even when a tall brunette started stroking his arm and a blond girl rested her hand on his shoulder. He was literally trapped in between six or seven girls now, and Wilson started to feel his heart drop just a little bit. Thank God House wasn't here to see it! He wondered if Chase had slept with any of them yet. He was almost certain of it. He just hoped it wasn't in fact _all _of them.

"Doctor Chase!" Wilson accidentally looked up when Cuddy shouted the blond doctor's name. Damn it. If anyone had been watching _him_ at that moment, it would have been too obvious that he was spying on the kid. "Could I see you in my office, please?"

Chase nodded that he would follow Cuddy, although the nurses seemed quite disappointed. A young woman with red hair and big breasts whispered something in his ear and now it appeared that he had to kiss them all on the cheek before they would let him go. Chase shrugged his shoulders and obeyed happily.

Chase did notice Wilson and many other colleagues staring at him. He had to admit he was quite nervous about what they must have thought of him, but he tried to hide his inner fear of being judged and secretly marked a man whore. If Foreman knew how much he had dreaded this bet, he would never lay off of him again and without a doubt, the teasing would be endless. He knew how Foreman had always disliked him. It was as though he could read his mind from time to time. _Poor little rich kid. Are you scared by your own popularity? Oh, it must be so hard to be you!_

Chase knew he had no right to complain, so he didn't. Although to be fair, the bet had nearly got him into trouble last night when both nurses Amanda and Victoria had invited themselves to his apartment. Not being able to say no to either one of them, he was forced to bring up the idea of a threesome which made him feel like a jerk taking advantage of the situation. But much to his surprise, neither of them had declined. He had to admit it – last night was great fun, although it had left him with an empty feeling. He knew he shouldn't be doing this anymore. He had been enjoying random one night stands in his teens as well, but now he'd just been through a painful divorce and he felt like he was only making things worse for himself. The girls he had been seeing meant nothing to him and everyone knew that. He knew he needed love in his life again, so how come he kept looking all the places where he was least likely to find it?

Maybe it was because he had always been unable to tell people no. When people demanded his company, it made him feel happy and slightly appreciated even if they were just taking advantage of him, like Cameron had. But anything was better than being alone, right?

He was now standing inside Cuddy's office. She'd asked him to wait a second while she arranged some papers in a patient's file.

"Doctor Chase, thank you so much for seeing me," she began, still looking down at the papers and not at him, "I have some questions about the treatment Mrs. Greenwood has received…"

Chase nodded and meant to take a seat since this could take a while. That was when they both heard a knock on the door. Before Cuddy even had time to react, a tall man wearing a big, black coat walked in. He was surprised to find that she wasn't alone, but he still managed to say:

"Oh I hope I'm not interrupting anything. Could I just see you for one moment, Lisa?"

"Mr. Johnson, as you can see I'm in the middle of something. I'm very busy, I'm afraid you'll have to come back another day."

The man seemed a bit disappointed, but decided not to argue with her. As the door closed behind them again, Chase looked at Cuddy and asked very straightforwardly: "Who was that? A stalker of yours?"

Cuddy noticed his cheeky grin and thought to herself that he was only a few vulgar comments away from reminding her of House and his candid interest in her personal life.

"If you must know, Doctor Chase, yes that man is a bit of a stalker. He's already been to my office twice this week and I can't seem to get rid of him. He's harmless, though."

Chase hadn't expected this, but now he felt rather curious. "Sorry I don't mean to pry, but… Did you go out with him or something? How does he even know you?"

"We went out once. He wanted more, but he's just not – not my type." Cuddy had felt slightly irritated when Mr. Johnson had made an appearance again, but now she tried to laugh it off and she smiled at the employee. "Don't worry though, you're not prying. I'm used to people being nosy around here!"

"By people you mean House, don't you?"

They both laughed when she admitted it was true, but all of a sudden the mention of House had made Chase feel funny. He hadn't seen his boss all day and he wasn't used to him not being around. Was he avoiding him or something?

They discussed the patient's treatment for roughly fifteen minutes. When Chase walked out the office he was surprised to see the man in the black coat still waiting outside, like he had nothing better to do than annoy the woman who didn't want him. Chase decided to walk back into the office to warn Cuddy.

"He's what?" she exclaimed and looked slightly terrified by the news. She was getting sick and tired of the man's stubbornness.

"He's still waiting outside to see you." Chase repeated. "Don't you think it's time to warn security about him?"

"Oh no, I have a better idea." She huffed, suddenly looking very determined. "Would you follow me, please? I could really use some help with this!"

Chase walked her out of the office once again, and Mr. Johnson stood up from his seat the minute he'd spotted her. He thought he'd walk over there and tell her how beautiful she looked this morning, when out of nowhere…

"Thanks for your help." Cuddy said out loud so that Mr. Johnson could hear her. And then she wrapped her arms around Chase's neck, leaned in and kissed him.

The only one more shocked than Mr. Johnson was Chase himself. His instincts told him to back away from this, because it certainly didn't seem right but Cuddy tightened the grip, broke the kiss and whispered in his ear.

"I know all about the bet. You are not supposed to say no, are you? Don't worry, this is just to scare him off. You want to help me, don't you?"

"Of course," Chase admitted, struggling not to stutter and reveal his own anxiousness, "but are you sure about this? People are looking!"

"I'm the boss," Cuddy reminded him, "no one will say a word. Now, grab my ass, I think that will do it!"

"What?!"

"You heard me, grab my ass before he gets suspicious! Or I'll tell Foreman you lost the bet already!"

She kissed him once again and Chase fought an inner battle before finally gathering the courage to do what she'd asked him to. His hand was now resting on one of her butt cheeks, but this was as far as he allowed himself to go with the dean of medicine. He couldn't even bring himself to squeeze it. Suddenly he felt Cuddy teasing him with her tongue as she slowly made her way into his mouth. It lasted about ten seconds before she turned her head to confirm that her stalker had left the room.

She smiled and sighed in relief. "Thank you," she whispered, noticing how stiff and uncomfortable Chase looked, "now don't worry, you're still winning the bet. Seriously Chase, don't look so scared – just so you know, I thought it was amazing!"

She let go of him and he thought it was over when she – very discretely – decided to smack his ass before returning to her office and closing the door. Chase felt paralyzed. Some of the witnesses of the scene gave him dirty looks and smiled at him and he thought it was getting too much.

The dean of medicine had kissed him! _Lisa_ _Cuddy_ had kissed him! And smacked his ass, too! And that was when all the craziness started.

It had been an hour since he left Cuddy's office. He was paged to the clinic as he was told he had a patient who wanted to see him. It sounded urgent so he skipped his lunch and went as soon as he could see to it. Exam room 2, his pager said. He walked in the door and before he could even greet his patient, something hit him in the face with a force that literally levelled him with the ground. Someone's fist that was.

He blinked a couple of times. He was surprised to find himself lying flat on his back. Someone was hovering over him.

"That was for making Lisa Cuddy break up with me!" Chase recognized Mr. Johnson's desperate, crazed voice. "You should be ashamed of yourself!"

Mr. Johnson left the exam room immediately after, hoping to escape the hospital before someone called security. Chase tried to sit up, but a fierce pain in his head made him regret this decision. He heard a firm voice somewhere behind him:

"Doctor Chase? Don't move, you're bleeding!"

He obeyed the voice and relaxed his body. He closed his eyes as someone knelt down beside him. When he opened them again for a brief second before losing consciousness, he could have sworn it was House.


	4. Chapter 4

Chase didn't feel comfortable sitting on the examination table. His head hurt and he didn't like being examined by Taub. As a person he was a complete bore and as a doctor he was just cold. He was acting almost dismissive, keeping his distance and not allowing Chase to small talk in between the tests.

"Right, you know the drill." Taub said after having shined the bright light into Chase's eyes. "Your pupils are not dilated, but we still want to be on the safe side, don't we? If you would just follow my finger…"

And Chase followed Taub's finger with his eyes without uttering a word. Taub seemed satisfied so he assumed he was doing well.

"Now, you've only got a small concussion and yes, you only had two stiches but I still urge you to take a few days off work. Bleeding head wounds can be very nasty to deal with, you know."

Chase thought to himself that Taub sounded slightly patronising. After all, they were both doctors.

"I think I will be fine," he replied, "how's my face?"

"Chase, you blacked out for several minutes, don't take this too lightly! Your face is nothing to worry about, but I know you do so here's the thing: Yes, there's going to be a neat bruise just above your jaw but you'll still look pretty so just forget it, okay?"

"You think I'm being vain, don't you?" Chase couldn't hold back a small chuckle. "Fair enough, but I'm more concerned about people noticing the bruises and asking me questions. After all, it is going to be pretty hard to explain to everyone."

Taub smiled and it looked as though he was enjoying this a little bit. "Right. What was the story again? Did you kiss someone's wife?"

Chase imitated his colleague's evil smile. "Sorry, I'm not telling!"

Taub merely huffed. "Did you take your pain killers yet? As soon as you get off the table, you're going to need them!"

After Chase had swallowed the pills, Taub made him lie down on the examination table, flat on his back again. "You might feel dizzy." He warned him.

Chase didn't mind lying down at all. His head was still spinning and he felt exhausted and slightly humiliated by this.

"I'll come back to check on you in a few minutes," Taub headed towards the door, quickly checking his pager, "so just do your best to relax, okay?"

"Wait, before you go…" Chase hesitated, not sure how to ask the question that had been bothering him throughout the entire examination. "Do you know who found me on the floor? Because I could have sworn it was House and that he seemed worried. Do you think I should go look for him or something?"

Taub didn't seem impressed by this at all. "No, I don't think you should go anywhere for a while. You shouldn't move around too much, remember? Anyway, I think you might be right that House found you, but he went home for today so he's probably not _that_ concerned after all!"

"He went home?" Chase couldn't believe his own disappointment. It didn't make any sense, but he would have liked for House to check up on him, even if it was just to make fun of his condition.

"Yeah, he did." Taub turned his back on his slightly confused patient and shut the door behind him. "Lucky bastard." He added to himself.

It had been exactly twenty minutes when Taub returned to the exam room.

"How're we doing?" He asked Chase, trying to sound energetic even when he wasn't. "Did the pain killers kick in yet?"

"Huh? Oh hi there, Taub!" Chase had looked completely lost for a moment, but the minute he recognized the team mate he waved his hand at him, trying his best to sit up again.

"I'll take that as a yes!" Taub sighed, his smile more tensed now. "No, don't sit up if you still feel dizzy. You'll just fall off the table!"

Chase didn't listen. He tried to roll over onto his side but he was too close to the edge of the table and would have fallen right off it if Taub hadn't rushed to his side in time.

"I've got you," Taub groaned as he pulled Chase back into his original position, lying on his back, "did I give you too many of those pain killers or did you take some extra when I wasn't looking? You're acting like you're high!"

He sounded very accusing, but Chase merely giggled and shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm lightweight, I guess! And I'm not high by the way – I just wanted to say hi to my favourite colleague in the whole world!"

Chase tried to sit up again, but this time Taub pushed his shoulders back down on the table, already losing his patience. "Come on, do you want me to strap you down or something? Because I will do it if you can't behave!"

Chase started laughing hysterically and Taub regretted that no one at this hospital ever took him seriously. He blamed House for that.

"Oh, Chris, I didn't know you were that kinky!" Chase had no idea, but when Taub heard him pronouncing his first name with his light Australian accent, his heart nearly stopped. They had never used each other's first names before. Not once. Chase kept laughing, though, when he noticed the funny expression on the team mate's face. "What's wrong now, Chris? Are you scared that I might actually ask you to strap me down? It's all right, I know you could never do something like that!"

It was as though Taub had awoken from some sort of inner comatose. "What is that supposed to mean? You don't think I'm a man of my word?"

"I think you want to be," Chase sniggered, "but you don't know how to be firm with people."

"I don't know how to be firm?"

"No, I've seen this with your patients before. They're being unreasonable and they refuse to cooperate with you, yet it's them telling you off in the end when you try telling them what to do! You can't even raise your voice at them, can you?" When Taub said nothing, Chase feared he might have offended him so he added: "But don't worry – shy people are the nicest people in the world I think."

"I'm not shy," Taub's voice had changed and he didn't sound calm anymore, "And I _can _be firm with people when they leave me no choice! Stop moving around right now, Chase, or I will in fact tie your hands behind your back!"

"Oh yeah? Using what?" Chase snorted. He still didn't take the threat seriously.

Taub looked around the room for a moment. "Gaffa tape!" He exclaimed dramatically and moved over to the desk. He took the roll of tape in his hand just to show Chase that he wasn't kidding. But for some reason this had caused Chase to laugh violently again. He threw his head back and had to hold a hand over his stomach as he was starting to cramp from laughing so hard.

"Stop squirming!" Taub shouted at him, barely able to make himself heard above Chase's laughter. "Have you lost your mind? Don't make me… Don't make me overpower you because that wouldn't be pretty!"

It didn't work. Chase kept on laughing and squirming on the table, once again dangerously close to the edge. Taub was getting pretty tired of this, but at the same time he really didn't want to do anything drastic, such as binding his colleague's hands behind his back. He had to remember that Chase was not being himself right now. In fact, he was a patient who needed his doctor to help him in a _professional_ manner. Taub had only ever strapped down patients with seizures – not patients with stomach cramps after having laughed too hard.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" Chace paused to gasp for air. "Are you really considering the idea of _overpowering_ me?"

He started chuckling and laughing again before Taub could even defend himself.

"All right! That's it!" Taub yelled, clutching the gaffa tape in his hand. "I warned you, Chase! Now you must face the consequences!"

He moved to the examination table, once again pushing his team mate down by the shoulders as he tried to sit up. Then he climbed up on the table himself, having to place himself on top of Chase in order not to lose his balance and fall over.

"Oh blimey, are you serious?" Chase obviously couldn't believe the move Taub had made, but the surprise wasn't enough to keep him from giggling.

"I'm very serious, Robert, now give me your hands! It won't hurt as long as you just work with me!"

That was more than the blond doctor could take. The idea of passively letting Taub tie him down was too much – it was ridiculous!

"Nuh-uh!" Chase refused, raising his arms above his own head so that Taub couldn't reach his hands. "I'm not doing all the work for you!" He then added, once again testing the other doctor's patience.

"You think that's gonna stop me?" Taub snorted and leaned forward so that he was basically chest to chest with the younger colleague. "Stop being such a child!" He shouted out in all his frustration before finally being able to grab a hold of Chase's wrists. _"Gotcha!" _he cried out, almost celebrating his own triumph.

"God, your nose looks _gigantic_ from this angle!" Chase was still making laughing-noises as he struggled to free himself. "Now, let me go! I don't wanna be tied down! I promise I'll be good from now on!"

"Oh, I'm not falling for that!" Taub panted, tightening the grip he had on the blond's wrists.

"You can trust me," Chase argued and struggled on, "I said I'll behave!"

"Everybody lies!"

Taub tried his best to stay in control of the situation, but it was impossible for him to even work the roll of gaffa tape. He tried moving the roll from one hand to the other, but unfortunately he dropped it and it landed on the floor.

"Son of a bitch!" He yelled, now pitying himself with all his heart. "Chase, that wouldn't have happened if you had only stayed still!"

"Oops!" Chase giggled and looked more satisfied with himself than ever. Damn it, it even looked like he was starting to relax now. He knew there was nothing Taub could do because Taub really didn't know how to be firm with people. Taub couldn't even think of a way to punish the kid for making all this trouble, although he very much wanted to punish him in some way. Chase was smiling and hence looking ten times more charming and attractive to Taub than he ought to. Everybody knew that Chase was a good-looking guy, that he had a way of drawing people towards him, but Taub had always considered himself immune to his charms. But then again, he had never been this close to the other man before, he had never really looked into his blue eyes – not from this angle at least…

"Oh my God! Chase? Taub? What's going on?"

Taub jumped as they were both taken by surprise by their female colleague. They both turned their heads. Masters was standing there in the doorway looking utterly gobsmacked and paralyzed, unable to move from what she'd seen – what she was still looking at.

"Martha!" Chase exclaimed and started laughing again before Taub could even stop him. "Look what Chris is doing to me!"

Masters' face turned completely red and she obviously didn't know how to react to this.

"I-I'm sorry," she stuttered, "I'll give the two of you some privacy!"

"No wait!" Taub yelled out at her, desperate to tell her that she got it all wrong, that it wasn't what it looked like. But Masters had already left the room. Taub tried to jump off of Chase, but as always he failed to be elegant as he fell down on the floor and landed on his ass.

"Oh my God," Chase started giggling again, "she's going to tell everyone that we're lovers, isn't she?"


	5. Chapter 5

Wilson knew all about the incidents that had taken place at the hospital and it was safe to say that Cuddy's stalker had created a lot of confusion. Rumours had it that Chase and Cuddy had been each other's lovers for months now and that Mr. Johnson was an old, jealous ex trying to get Cuddy back. But Wilson knew it wasn't true. However, he heard from a lot of people that the two of them really had been making out outside her office and that was the thing he didn't understand. Cuddy and Chase were both attractive people, but he knew that they had never been interested in each other that way. (Even though he'd caught Cuddy staring at Chase's ass a couple of times, but who hadn't?)

He knocked on House's door the very same night, hoping to get some answers or at least make sure that House wasn't freaking out about what had happened between his boss and his own employee. Wilson would understand it if he felt betrayed somehow, even if he was the only person who knew about the crush his friend had on the young Australian.

"House? It's me!" Wilson decided to knock once again.

Finally House came to the door. Wilson was going to say something about House taking forever to answer, but then he saw that he was on the phone with someone and decided to keep quiet. He let himself in, removed his jacket and sat down on House's couch, patiently waiting for the conversation to end. House wasn't a big fan of long conversations anyway, especially not on the phone.

"All right, sounds like we might have a possible case," House uttered, sounding hopelessly indifferent and not at all interested, "you can tell me all about it in the morning, Foreman, I'm off duty now in case you didn't notice! Oh, one more thing, though… How's our other patient? You know, the one with the blond hair and the funny accent, what's his face?" Foreman replied something and then House added: "Oh that's right! Chase! What was I thinking? His name even rhymes with face!"

House hung up the phone as soon as Foreman had informed him that their "patient" was fine and had left the hospital an hour ago. Nothing to worry about. Not that House was worried anyway…

"Oh, you are so smooth!" Wilson declared sarcastically when House sat down next to him on the couch. "Let me guess, you had to listen to Foreman ramble on about a boring case for half an hour before finally gathering the courage to ask the question you really wanted to ask!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" House told him, clearly in denial. "And just so you know, it was only 15 minutes!"

Wilson shook his head. "You're pathetic! Why can't you just admit that you were worried about Chase? You were the one who found him on the floor with a bleeding head wound, it's only natural that you would want to know what happened!"

"Earth to Wilson!" House was using his "I'm-making-fun-of-you-again"-voice. "I do not need to know what happened to the Wombat, because I've already figured that part out myself!

"You have?"

"Yeah! He kissed Cuddy – and only bad things can come from that!"

"Oh." Wilson paused for a moment. So House knew about that incident as well. "For what it's worth, I think there is more to the story than we know. Chase wouldn't kiss Cuddy unless she asked him to, knowing that he's not in the position to decline her "romantic offer"." Wilson made sure to use the air quotes when House looked at him in disbelief. "So the question is, why would she ask that of him? Come on, House, I thought you liked puzzles!"

"It's not a puzzle!" House snorted, sounding almost offended by that. "Everyone who has ever laid eyes on Chase should want to kiss him! Cuddy knew that he wouldn't turn her down because of the bet and she took advantage!"

Wilson raised an eyebrow, not sure what to make of House's theory. "Look, you might be right." He nodded. "I'm just saying that we shouldn't make assumptions when we don't know the full story. You have nothing to worry about, House, there is nothing between Chase and Cuddy, I'm sure. Now, if you would only quit stalling and admit to the kid that you have feelings-"

"I don't have feelings for him!" House objected. "Not romantic feelings anyway. Now, I _might _develop hateful feelings, though, especially when he gets himself into that kind of trouble! How stupid was that?"

"I knew it!" Wilson gave him a wry smile. "You do care about his well-being. In fact, you care a lot! And if I know you well enough, I'd say you're probably blaming yourself a little bit for avoiding Chase all day. If you hadn't avoided him, you might have been there to defend him against Cuddy's admirer!"

"Oh, I'm not blaming myself," House assured his friend, "I'm blaming _you_! You said you'd keep an eye on him! Now, where were you when he was punched to the ground?"

"House, please! I did try to keep an eye on him, but I've had patients all day and Chase is a busy man himself. It's so easy to lose track of him, which I'm sure you would know all about!"

"Please, I'm not the one spying on him!" House reminded him.

"But I'm only spying on him because _you_ told me to!" Wilson sputtered with outrage.

"Oh, you just keep telling yourself that, Wilson!"

Wilson let out a frustrated sigh and House leaned back in the couch, feeling satisfied with himself. But of course, Wilson had been more right than House was ever willing to admit. He did feel incredibly guilty for not being around – and especially for leaving Chase's side while he was still unconscious. He just couldn't stand to see him that way… So defenceless.

House thought back to the moment when he'd seen the duckling sprawled on the floor. He had been too late to even catch a glimpse of the attacker which he also hated himself for. He knew that the punch couldn't have caused his employee any serious injury – hell, House had taken so many punches himself over the years so he was starting to take a few bruises very lightly. But still, it had been enough to level Chase with the ground and _that _had caused him to really hit the back of his head. When House saw the blood on the floor he'd been angry enough to want to chase down the person who'd assaulted his Wombat.

_His _Wombat? Jesus Christ, it was as though he'd taken a punch to the head himself. He obviously wasn't thinking clearly. He didn't even feel lucid. He couldn't get the image of an injured Chase out of his head. Chase had been trying to get up and into a sitting position himself and when House saw the struggling, it had actually scared him a little bit. Sure, the struggling was pathetic and had it been anyone else, he obviously would have joked about it afterwards or even during. But it could also have been a sign that the injury was worse than it looked. He remembered his own voice when he had commanded Chase to lie still. How on earth had he managed to sound so calm? He was glad that he hadn't revealed how worried he really was for a moment, because there was still a chance that Chase would remember House's presence before losing consciousness. House took in a deep breath and swore that the Wombat could _never_ find out how frustrated and powerless his own boss had felt at that moment.

The sense of powerlessness had started when House had knelt down by Chase's side. (He still couldn't believe that he'd actually done that – it had been extremely painful for his leg, but he only really noticed it afterwards. Hell, he could even feel it now). He had seen his employee look up at him in confusion, but somehow House also sensed that Chase had appreciated his presence. His eyes had been locked with his for a few seconds, but then House felt Chase slip away from him as his body became limp and the eyes rolled back in the Australian's head. House had called out his name a few times, trying his best not to sound alarmed.

"_Doctor House? What happened? Should I call for a gurney?"_

One of the blond nurses who'd been flirting with Chase a hundred times came running towards them. She looked like she was scared out of her wits and for some reason House felt annoyed by that.

"_Gee, what do you think?"_

He had almost barked at her, even when he wasn't right to. When she disappeared around the corner and there was no one else around to see them, House had touched Chase's shoulder. At first it was only very lightly, but then he tried shaking his employee back to consciousness.

"_Wake up, doctor Chase, you have work to do!" _He had shouted, hoping that the younger doctor would be responsive but it didn't work. Then House had leaned in, just a little bit and whispered: _"You are only doing this to make me worry about you, aren't you?"_

House couldn't help but studying the Australian's face. His (pretty) features were all relaxed, just like in the dream he'd recently had about him. He was a little pale, but for some reason he only looked younger. In fact, Chase had looked like a mere kid and House suddenly felt very protective of him. If only he had been around to make sure he wouldn't get himself into trouble. It was a stupid bet anyway and House resented Foreman for taking away the team mate's ability to say no to people. He wasn't good at saying no in the first place, but now it was simply _impossible_ for him to do so.

House's hand was still on Chase's shoulder. He remembered his own desire to touch the blond in the dream and he could almost feel it coming back to him now. God, he was still so incredibly beautiful – even after being punched in the face. No wonder the nurses couldn't leave him alone. House thought that maybe he could just raise his hand to stroke the Wombat's pale cheeks… And maybe he could even run his fingers through the blond hair. No one was watching him, right? What he really wanted to do, though, was to take the other man in his arms, just to know what it felt like to hold him. He'd imagined the feeling so many times, the desire to know brought on by his endless dreams at night. Dreams which involved kissing and certainly more than just hugging – but after all, House felt like a simple hug would suffice right now. He was about to lean in again when the awaited gurney arrived, brought in by a small group of nurses, all anxious to find out what had happened to their favourite doctor. House had stayed to make sure that the Wombat was well looked after, but as soon as another doctor had arrived he fled the scene. He didn't want the already confused patient to open up his eyes and find that he was still in the room.

Even though Foreman had assured him that everything was okay, House knew he wouldn't be getting much sleep that night.

The next morning Chase was running pretty late. He had overslept and he didn't know if that was due to the concussion, the pills or his own loss of orientation. When he finally did arrive at the hospital, he was overwhelmed by the amount of people approaching him to ask questions about his condition. The bruises above his jaw were more evident now and especially the nurses seemed to make a big deal out of it. He kept reassuring everyone that he was fine, telling them that he was late for work and then he apologized for not being able to talk. (That didn't count as turning someone down, he was certain).

He was surprised to find that the diagnostics room was almost empty. He only found Masters sitting at the table, reading through a file whilst taking notes.

"'Morning." He said as he walked in, surprised by the tiredness in his own voice. "Where is everyone?"

Masters looked up from the file, offering him a shy smile. "Chase, you're extremely late," she told him, trying not to sound scolding like the other team mates, "we already found ourselves a case. Taub is in the lab and Foreman's with our new patient."

"Oh." Chase looked a little lost for a moment. "Tell me, how late am I?"

"Let's just say well over an hour, shall we? But don't worry; House isn't even in yet himself. Foreman talked to him on the phone. Apparently he can't come because of some medical condition that he suffers from." Chase seemed all concerned to hear this, so Masters quickly added: "He named the condition "libido overload." Self-diagnosed, of course."

Chase couldn't help but to laugh at that. Yeah, it sounded like House all right.

Masters had been avoiding all eye-contact with her Australian team mate, merely because she was still pretty embarrassed about what had happened yesterday when she walked in on Chase and Taub on the examination table. She still couldn't believe the images she had in her head of Taub lying on top of Chase - who was clearly high from the pain killers. But now she pulled herself together at gave the Aussie a shy look.

"Are you all right?" she asked with genuine concern in her voice. "You still seem a little groggy. Are you sure that you should even be at work?"

"I'm fine, thanks." Chase gave her one of his usual smiles – something which often made all the nurses turn their heads and stare at him with lust in their eyes. But Masters seemed to ignore it. When he looked at her, she tried to bury her face in the patient's file and Chase thought that it was a little too obvious that she was uncomfortable around him now. "Masters, are you trying to avoid me or something?" He asked.

"No, of course not." She hid her blushing face behind the sheets of paper.

"Yes you are!" Chase moved to the table and sat down next to her. "Masters, please! Don't tell me that this is about yesterday. You know that I was high from the pills!"

"But Taub wasn't!"

"No, he was just trying to protect me from my own stupid actions. Apparently I nearly fell of the table!"

"Chase, please." Masters finally lowered the paper sheets and looked at him. "You don't have to make up any excuses. I'm not judging any of you…"

"I'm not making up excuses!" He exclaimed. "You're really not believing me, are you? Come on, do you really think there's something going on between me and Chris Taub?"

"I think," Masters paused and thought for a second, "I think that he took advantage of you. He knew you were in a vulnerable situation."

"No, I swear that's not what happened – Taub would never take advantage like that! Why would he even want to? I'm telling you, it wasn't what it looked like!"

"Chase, listen to me." All of a sudden she dropped the papers and grabbed his hands. "I want you to know that you can always talk to me – as long as you are telling me the truth. Now, I think you might have a serious problem and it's not something that should be ignored."

"Are you kidding me?" Chase couldn't believe her. He moved his hands to make her let go of them, but apparently she was more stubborn than he had thought. "What kind of problem do you think I have?" He then asked.

"I think that maybe…" She hesitated for a moment, but then continued: "I think that you can't say no to sleeping with other people. I think that you're willingly letting other men and women take advantage of you because you don't want to be alone. I know it's been tough since the divorce, but please don't do this to yourself. You deserve so much better than this. You deserve someone who really cares about you and would never take advantage."

Chase's eyes were still locked with Masters'. Both their faces had become very serious all of a sudden. Then Chase swallowed a few times, not being able to find any words to say. Masters thought he was a slut! Sure, she put it more nicely than Foreman had, but she still thought of him as someone desperate and needy. Someone who had been acting like a whore just because he didn't like being on his own.

"I have to go."

Chase got up from the chair and left the diagnostics room before Masters could even object.

Masters had told him that Taub was in the lab so he decided to go there. He didn't look too busy with the test results so Chase walked up to him and asked if they could talk somewhere private.

"Well of course." Taub was barely looking up from his papers. "Let's go find an empty room, shall we?"

And they did. They found an empty office that belonged to one of the neurologists, doctor Martinez. He was in surgery all morning and wouldn't be needing the room anyway. As soon as the door had been shut behind them, Chase looked at Taub and said:

"Look, I really want to apologize for my behaviour yesterday. I know I was giving you a hard time and that wasn't fair to you."

Taub moved to stand a little closer to his Australian team mate. It looked as though he was studying him in a very strange and unfamiliar manner. Then Taub let out a small grin which made it impossible for Chase to even recognize his voice.

"Oh Chase…" He muttered, very slowly and shook his head.

For a second Chase feared that he was going to get punched in the face again as Taub had leaned forward and raised his arms a little bit. But then he grabbed the blond doctor's face with both hands, held him in a locked position and leaned in to kiss him fiercely.

Chase was so horrified that he couldn't even breathe…


	6. Chapter 6

Chase was struggling desperately to free himself from Taub's hands. He could feel the other doctor force his way into his mouth and it felt awful, it felt wrong and almost sickening. How was he even supposed to face his colleague after this? He tried to groan and make noises to tell Taub that he wasn't enjoying it and wanted it to end, but apparently that only made Taub more determined to let it go on. He started pressing his full body against the Australian's, pushing him backwards until they banged into the wall. Taub shoved his tongue further down Chase's throat, pinning him against the wall completely. Chase tried to place his hands on Taub's shoulders, wanting to push him away, wanting to make him fall backwards even. He couldn't take it anymore – he was trying to hold his breath because he didn't want to inhale the scent of his male colleague. It seemed way too intimate. But at the same time he desperately needed to breathe…

Taub finally broke the kiss and let go of the blond doctor. Chase was so overwhelmed and dizzy from holding his breath for so long that he simply slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor.

"Chase? Are you okay?" Taub looked at him and was very alarmed to see his scared, panicked reaction. He knelt down to sit beside the other man. "Hey, talk to me! Is everything all right?"

"What… the… _hell_… was… that?" Chase panted and had to hold a hand over the back of his head as the pain had set in again. "Taub, have you lost your mind?!"

"I-I'm sorry! Please, don't look at me that way! Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"

"Yeah, you could back the hell off!" Chase knew that he might be overreacting to this, but there was no way he could control his emotions at this point. He still couldn't believe what had just happened!

"I'm sorry, truly," Taub muttered and started to look pretty hurt, "I didn't know I was that bad a kisser!"

Chase's eyes widened and he looked at Taub like he was in shock. "You didn't do it to _impress_ me, did you?"

"Of course not! It's just that…" Taub was avoiding the looks his colleague was giving him. He could even feel himself blushing. "Chase, do you think that I'm a man?"

Chase couldn't believe his own ears. Had he really asked him that question? "Yeah, Taub, I think that you're a man." He said, the wonder very evident in his voice.

"No but I mean, do you think that I'm a _manly_ man?"

"Oh." Chase had no idea what to answer to that. "Come on, you know I'm not the right person to answer you this. Why the heck don't you just ask your wife that question? Or the nurse you've been seeing?"

Taub started to look even sadder and self-loathing. "Well, that's the thing. Neither of them think of me as manly. In fact, I – I think my wife may be leaving me for someone else."

And at those words, Chase felt extremely guilty for lashing out on his team mate like that. This was probably something he'd been burdened with for a while without telling anyone. "I'm sorry to hear that," he muttered, "I had no idea."

"Don't feel sorry for me," Taub said and changed his position on the floor, "I was just wondering if she was leaving me because I'm not good at being romantic. Just tell me one thing, please. How was the kiss? Was it really that bad?"

Chase had prayed to God that he wouldn't ask him that question. The truth was that the kiss had been passionate, but that it had felt just awful in spite of that. Or maybe even _because_ of that. And not just because he'd been kissed by another man. (This wasn't even his first kiss with a man – he reminded himself that he'd been kissed by men before and had enjoyed it, too). Yet he didn't want to hurt Taub's feelings and make him feel bad about his own "performance".

"To be honest," he started, "I wanted you to back off for a reason. You're not a bad kisser, I guess, but it didn't feel right. I'm sorry, but there was no attraction."

Taub wasn't surprised to hear this. In all honesty, he'd been thinking about Chase a lot and how he had looked when he was lying underneath him on that table. He'd looked so handsome, even when he was laughing hysterically. There was something very charming about the blond, even a straight man like Chris Taub couldn't deny that. Chase was wrong when he said there hadn't been any attraction, because Taub certainly did feel attracted to him. Just a little bit, of course.

"I'm glad you're being honest with me." Taub offered him the hint of a smile. "But please, could you give me something more specific? I don't want my wife to hate my kisses just as much as you did!"

Chase thought of something, but hesitated. He had no idea if this was being a little too honest. "Well, if you must know," he sighed in the end and decided to just come out with it, "there was one thing. Your nose kept poking me in the face. I hate to say it, but it really hurt!"

Taub's face had become very straight. Always with the nose! But the more he thought about it, the funnier it seemed. After a moment of silence, he couldn't hold back a chuckle.

"Fair enough," he laughed, "I guess my nose is pretty big, isn't it? And you're face is bruised so it's not a very smart combination. But wait a minute…" He stared at Chase as he had just realized something. "You kept trying to break the kiss, didn't you? Does that mean you've lost the bet?"

Chase's body froze and his mind went blank. No, he couldn't lose the bet to Foreman over this. He just couldn't!

"Crap!" He whispered to himself. "I guess I did struggle against it, didn't I?"

Taub knew how much Chase feared losing to Foreman and he couldn't blame the kid. Foreman would make his life miserable. So he said:

"I'll tell you what – if you do one thing for me, I won't tell Foreman a word and you will still be winning the bet. How does that sound?"

"Thank you so much, Taub, I will do anything." Chase heard himself say, even though he didn't really mean _anything_.

Taub blushed again and he said: "Kiss me. Just once. I might not be a good kisser, but I bet you are."

Once again, Chase was shocked. Perhaps Masters was right after all. People _were _taking advantage of him. But it was too late to get out of it now. Taub knew that Chase had no choice if he wanted to have a chance against Foreman. He would never forgive his co-worker for asking this of him, though. Because there was nothing in this world that he dreaded more than having to kiss this man once again…

"Okay," he murmured and couldn't even look Taub in the eyes now, "just one kiss."

However, it took a while for the Australian to find the courage and the will power. His head was killing him and it made him feel extremely weak. To his own discomfort, he found that Taub was looking at him very expectantly and Chase sensed that he was actually _excited_ about what was going to happen. He tried not to think about it too much. He wanted to make this quick so that they could both just forget about this incident…

He got up on his knees and moved closer to the other man who seemed to be breathing heavily now. Chase tried to look past this. A sharp head ache made him want to wince, but Taub would only have taken that personally so Chase tried to keep focus on everything else but the pain and discomfort… His face was very close to the other man's now and he finally leaned in to plant a small kiss on Taub's lips. (This was even more difficult than he had imagined – the older doctor's nose got in the way again and Chase had to tilt his head a little bit and angle himself.) When their lips touched again, though, Taub lost all self-control. He wanted more and he was longing for Chase to open up to him. Chase was still going very slowly and he seemed almost too scared to move his lips. His entire body had become very stiff, it seemed. Maybe Taub should try to repress his own desires this time…

"Oh to hell with it!" Taub thought to himself.

And he lost all sense of right and wrong just that moment. He moved forward to wrap his arms around Chase who made a very surprised noise when he felt his own body being captured and pushed against Taub's. He instantly wanted to break free, but he knew that he would lose the bet if he tried to struggle against it again.

"Easy…" Chase whispered pleadingly against the other man's lips. He was allowed to at least slow down the pace, wasn't he?

"Sorry…" Taub exhaled heavily and Chase tried to hold his breath one more time to avoid taking in the very personal odour of Chris Taub… "Just let me try something."

Taub knew that he would be feeling like a jerk when this was over. He would be feeling like he had crossed a line and in a way, he did feel bad for Chase for being in this position. He had captured him in a very locked position again, something which the kid clearly didn't feel comfortable with. However, this realization wasn't enough for Taub to change his mind. He moved his hands to remove Chase's tie and unbutton his shirt. He did so with steady, firm hands. He could feel Chase tremble slightly underneath his touch and he noticed that the other doctor's breathing sounded more shallow now. Taub could feel his own cheeks burning as he touched the blond's soft, smooth skin with his fingertips, repeatedly. This was too good… The Australian was too delicious to ever let go of, he thought. He wanted to possess him – control him. He wanted Chase to be _his_. From now on he would get jealous whenever he caught the nurses flirting with him, he would simply lose his mind whenever someone else tried to steal him away…

Taub had removed Chase's shirt and he paused to admire the Aussie's chest. He never noticed that Chase himself had turned rather pale. While he was allowing Taub to do whatever he wanted, he was struggling to get his breathing under control and abstract from the head ache. It had become extremely intense now and his entire head was pounding. Even his vision had turned slightly blurry…

"You're so hot!" Taub muttered with a big smile on his face just as he started attacking Chase's neck and chest with his passionate kisses. He tasted so good… He couldn't believe himself for never having noticed the beauty of Chase's tanned skin before. He was still desperate for more, but he also wanted to get at least some response from the younger man. Just a moan or a sigh would have made him the happiest guy on earth, but Chase remained very quiet. Taub noticed that his entire body had become limp while he was still sucking on his neck. He raised his head to take a look at his colleague… Taub was shocked to find that he Australian had fainted in his arms.

"Crap!" He exclaimed and just like that, even his deepest desires to strip Chase naked and trap him underneath his own body had vanished. The only thing he could feel right now was anxiety. He quickly lowered Chase's slack body to the ground, pressing an ear to the chest he had just been kissing… His heart was beating just fine and his breathing also seemed to improve now. Even his pulse seemed normal, only a little higher than usual. Taub concluded that it must have been some sort of panic attack that had caused him to black out, not a medical problem of any kind.

"Forgive me." Taub whispered and tried to get Chase dressed again. Now he felt bad for having torn off the young man's shirt and tie. Luckily he hadn't ruined the clothes. People would have noticed that right away. He got up from the floor, now studying the unconscious man with deep concern. He looked rather pale and his facial expression looked troubled, even in his unaware condition. Taub shook his head… He could never let this happen again. _Never_. The last thing he wanted was to hurt this person who he'd worked with for a few years now and had come to know pretty well.

All of a sudden, he feared that doctor Martinez would return to his office and find them there. But before he could think of a plan to flee the crime scene, Chase stirred and let out a muffled sound. It sounded like he was moaning.

"Chase?" Taub knelt down by his side. "How are you feeling?"

He shined a bright light into his eyes to check the pupils and Chase groaned, feeling like it was yesterday all over again. Then he remembered where he was and what had just happened. For a moment, he thought his heart had stopped beating. Could all this be real?

"Don't try to get up just yet," Taub told him as he saw the confusion in his team mate's eyes, "I'll go get you a wheelchair. Be right back."

"Taub, wait!" Chase remained on his back but had reached out an arm as if that was going to stop the other man. "I'm sorry about this," his voice sounded weak and raspy and he didn't seem to have found himself just yet, "I just want you to know that it didn't happen because of you. It's my head – it's really killing me!"

Taub just nodded at that and accepted the explanation, but deep down he knew that Chase would never have fainted in the arms of a pretty nurse, now matter how bad the pain was.

"Don't worry about it," Taub shrugged his shoulders before turning his back on the Australian, "let's just forget the entire incident, okay? Now, I'll come back as soon as I find that chair so don't go anywhere!"

House showed up at work around noon, not looking forward to having to explain it to Cuddy. He felt exhausted even though he had stayed in his bed all morning. He wondered where his team was as he entered his own office and for a brief second, he thought to himself that he couldn't wait for the day to pass by… But then he was startled to find the Wombat asleep in his chair.

Oh, this day seemed to be getting more interesting already…


	7. Chapter 7

House couldn't move a muscle for about a minute. At first, he thought he was in the middle of one of his usual dreams. It couldn't be that Chase was actually asleep in _his _chair! What kind of reality was this? He looked over his shoulder for a second, still expecting to see his team walk in the diagnostics room. But he was all alone with the sleeping Australian.

House walked over to his desk and picked up the phone.

"Wilson," he uttered a moment later, "there is a wombat sleeping in my chair!"

The oncologist sounded completely baffled as he took House's statement very literally. "Oh my god! Did you call animal security?"

House rolled his eyes at him, even if the oncologist couldn't see it. "No, you moron! It's Chase!"

"Oh…" Wilson paused for a second, then added: "What is he doing in your chair? And don't call me a moron!"

House ignored his friend's final remark. "I have no idea," he muttered, "I didn't even think he'd be at work today!"

As always, Wilson was being rational and doing all the careful considerations that House couldn't be bothered with himself. "Well, I have never seen Chase fall asleep at work before." He noted. "Not even when you've made him do long shifts. If he's fallen asleep, maybe he's not ready to go back to work. You should wake him up and tell him to go home."

House nodded to himself, pretending to consider this clever advice. But of course, he had already figured out what he wanted to do instead. "You know what, Jimmy," he spoke with playfulness in his voice, "I don't feel like sending him home just yet. Can't you see that this is a golden opportunity for me?"

Wilson froze at this, already dreading the real meaning behind House's words. "House," he said, sounding dead serious, "what are you going to do to him?"

"Oh please, you are not suggesting that I'm gonna take advantage of him, are you? If only people knew how dirty your mind really is, Jimmy!" House taunted him. "No, but here is what I was thinking – I was thinking that it is time to get some truthful answers out of my troubled employee."

"Truthful answers?" Wilson repeated and sounded sceptical. "What kind of answers?"

"Oh, you shall see my friend!" House sang. "Isn't it true that people who are high never lie? It rhymes, so it must be!"

"Oh no, House, I don't like the way your voice has changed just now. It sounds like you're up to no good! Guess what – I refuse to be a part of it!"

And just like that, Wilson had hung up the phone before House could even stop him. Not that he minded, though. Now he could tend to the brilliant plan that he had just come up with, all on his own. House turned around and took another look at the unaware blond.

"Be right back, Sleeping Beauty!" He chuckled, even when he knew that Chase couldn't hear him. He grabbed his cane and left the office.

Meanwhile in the chair, the young Australian was beginning to stir as he was making his way back to consciousness. _Be right back, Sleeping Beauty… _He was still half asleep, but he could have sworn that he had heard someone utter those words. They didn't really make sense to him, though. Suddenly it hit him that he couldn't even remember where he was. Or what he had been doing before falling asleep. Chase wanted to open his eyes but his head was still killing him and he feared that the sharp daylight would only make him feel worse. He only wished to fall asleep again and let his mind go blank. He felt comfortable and safe here, wherever it might be. He could have stayed this way forever, but then –

Chase jumped forward and nearly fell out of the chair as an extremely loud sound had woken him right up. Drums were playing, a strong male voice was practically screaming… He instantly tried to cover his ears with his hands. His entire head was pounding again, and it felt like his heart had jumped from his chest to his throat.

"Oh bloody hell!" He exclaimed, desperate for someone to turn the music down. "What's going on?"

He nearly jumped again when House appeared from behind the desk. Had he been hiding down on the floor? Chase looked at his boss as if he had just fallen down from the sky, and House got up from the floor and moved to the speakers connected to his computer, finally turning down the volume.

"Oh I'm sorry!" House shouted, using his sarcastic voice. "Did the music bother you? See, I just can't nap without listening to my precious death metal album collection!"

Chase was speechless. He looked at House as if he had gone mad. What the heck was he doing in his office, sleeping in his chair? Jesus Christ, this could only mean that he was in serious trouble.

"Oh don't look so shocked!" House added tauntingly when Chase hadn't moved a muscle. "Surely you must have known what an ardent music admirer I am!" He did a good job hiding it, but he was actually feeling rather amused by Chase's perplexed expression. "Now, are you finished napping? I'm not paying you to sit on your ass all day – that I can do myself!"

House grabbed the coffee mug that he had placed on his desk before putting the music on. He walked over to stand in front of his employee who was still looking rather lost. Finally, Chase was able to open his mouth and utter the words:

"Oh crap, I-I'm sorry, House. I can't believe I nodded off in your chair!"

"Nodded off?" House couldn't resist making one more joke at his employee's expense. It was all too tempting. "Yeah, if that's what you British call it when you're practically snoring like wild animals!"

That finally earned him a proper reaction from Chase, whose facial expression changed. "I'm Australian!" He snorted and sounded slightly offended. "And I wasn't snoring! I know I don't snore!"

"Oh yeah? Wanna bet?" House smirked. "What if I told you that I recorded the whole thing?"

Chase's eyes widened and he grew slightly paler. Suddenly he couldn't seem to find any words at all. "You – you wouldn't do that!" He gasped. "Would you?" House shrugged his shoulders and without a word, he handed Chase the coffee mug. "What's this?" Chase asked, surprised that House didn't even seem angry with him.

"I made you some coffee while you were still waking up coma patients with your snoring. Don't get me wrong, though, their families are very grateful!" House tried to conceal a smile as Chase accepted the coffee. "Now, drink that while it's still hot. I know how fond you Brits are of tea, but I promise that this will make you feel better."

Chase took a few sips. Then he looked up at House, not even bothered with the banter. "Thank you." He whispered, still feeling exhausted and bamboozled. He really thought it was a nice gesture – he would never have expected this to come from House, of all people.

And House hadn't expected the thankfulness either. It almost made him feel guilty as he watched Chase finish the drink after a few minutes. Surely, Chase never suspected the extra ingredient that House had added to the coffee without telling him… But after a short while, the Vicodin was already starting to work.

"How's your head?" House asked discreetly as he noticed that the Aussie was beginning to look less tensed. He was still watching Chase carefully from his standing position, although now he was forced to lean against his cane. His leg had been bothering him all day.

"Feels… better." Chase sighed, leaning back in the chair again. His entire body felt lighter for some reason. And he could barely feel the head ache now. "So much better." He then added with a happy smile.

House felt satisfied by this. Not only were the pills working without the Aussie suspecting anything, Chase's pain was also easing. House didn't like admitting it, but he was glad to see Chase feeling better.

"I'm glad to hear that." He whispered, looking down at his own feet.

Chase didn't even hear him. He was starting to let go of himself, little by little, and a few moments later, he was no longer able to control the words coming out of his mouth. He started rambling, like he always did when he was drunk and unable to think.

He started apologizing to House again for falling asleep in his chair. "I really don't know how it happened," he explained, "it was Taub who brought me here. I was just going to take a short break because my head was hurting again. Taub said he'd be back to check on me, but I'm guessing he never returned. I'm so sorry, House, I really didn't mean to act all lazy. It was just too tempting – your chair is so soft and… I guess I just felt really safe here."

House looked up at that. "What?" He asked. "You feel _safe_ here?"

"Yeah, in your chair. It even smells like you, House."

House's mind nearly went blank, but he forced himself to sound cool as he made an attempt to mock his employee again. "What are you saying? I smell like safety to you? Oh you have no idea! Lots of things have happened in that chair, but they have nothing to do with safety! I even had sex in that chair once, you know. Sweaty, dirty, hot sex with one of my favourite prostitutes. And believe me, it got really messy! Perhaps that's what you think you're smelling?"

To House's surprise, Chase merely started laughing. He shook his head. "Nah. You never had sex in this chair, House. I would have known about it if you had."

"Oh yeah? And why is it that you think you know all about my sex life?"

Chase folded his hand behind his neck, still feeling awfully comfortable. "Mainly because you like to brag and tell us all about it when you do have sex with someone." He smiled at House now. "You always have to spill the details about where it was, who it was with and how many times you did it…"

"Oh. Right." House turned silent for a moment. He couldn't believe that Chase knew him this well! "But in theory, I could have had sex in that chair without telling you!" He pointed out.

"Yeah. But you didn't. Don't think you can fool me that easily!" Chase giggled. "You're so silly sometimes, you know."

House was so shocked that he didn't even notice he was holding his breath. Was it his imagination or had Chase said that with affection in his voice? No, it couldn't be. Chase was flying high - the kid wasn't used to these powerful drugs. But then House reminded himself that he had actually drugged Chase because he knew that this would make it impossible for the younger doctor to lie. He knew that Chase was incapable of saying something he didn't mean at this very moment. And suddenly, House was blushing against his will. He raised his head to see if the blond doctor had noticed, but then he discovered something which made him forget about all of this.

"Who gave you that?" He cried out, not even able to control his own voice.

"What?" Chase asked, genuinely confused by House's question.

"That hickey!" House pointed to the Aussie's neck, using his cane. "You didn't have that yesterday, did you? So tell me, who gave it to you?"

Chase frowned, moving his hands, and it wasn't until his fingertips stroked the small bruise on his neck that he seemed to remember what had happened earlier that day.

"Oh God!" He exclaimed, still covering the hickey with his fingers. "Oh God, I completely forgot about that!"

"What is it?" House was starting to look pretty confused himself. "Chase, who gave it to you?"

Chase began laughing and House was startled. "Oh no, House, I don't think I can tell you that! It would blow your mind away!"

He was becoming hysterical with laughter and for some reason, it almost annoyed House. He knew that he would go out of his mind if Chase didn't tell him. "Chase, I am your boss and I demand you to tell me right now!"

He had made his voice sound very firm and determined. Finally, Chase shrugged his shoulders, unable to deny House the truth. "All right, fine." He said. "But don't get all worked up when you hear it, okay? I don't want any trouble!"

"Yeah, yeah, I promise that no one will get in trouble! Cross my heart and all that, now who was it, Chase?" House was rushing him, but he just couldn't help himself.

"It was… It was Taub." The office turned dead silent for a moment, but then Chase couldn't hold back another giggle. The sound he'd made was so adorable to House, but he just couldn't focus on that right now. "Can you believe it?" Chase added. "Chris Taub!"

No. House couldn't believe it. And yet, it was obviously true. He knew how well the Vicodin worked. Unable to even answer Chase and unwilling to forget about this revelation, House paged Taub and ordered him to come to the office immediately.

"Guess who'll be joining us in a minute!" House muttered and it was only too noticeable that his voice had turned bitter.

However, Chase never picked up on that. "Who?" He asked. He literally didn't have a clue.

Before House could even answer this, doctor Taub himself appeared in the door. He was going to ask House what he wanted, but he paused when he found that Chase was still sitting in the chair that he'd left him in. Crap, he'd forgotten that he was supposed to check up on the blond. What on earth was he doing leaning back into the chair while House was present? He felt awfully confused for a moment, until he noticed that Chase was looking doped again. This couldn't be good, Taub decided.

"Hey Taub!" Chase practically yelled out as he waved at his colleague. "We were just talking about you!"

Taub winced and for a second or two, he feared that he might actually pass out on the floor. He wanted to flee the room instantly, but instead he collected himself and stuttered: "Oh, i-is th-that so?"

House stretched his back as he took a step forward. "Oh yeah!" He snorted, making sure that Taub wasn't going anywhere. "Now tell me something, what would your wife say if she knew that you enjoy giving your colleagues an occasional hickey or two? Is this something you agreed on before exchanging vowels?"

Taub closed his eyes shut and covered his face with his palms. Only his nose couldn't be covered and it was still showing in between his shaking fingers. "Oh crap," he whispered, "no one was supposed to find out about this!"

"Right – because hickeys are usually invisible!" House rolled his eyes at him and took another step forward. He didn't know why, but he felt like chasing Taub out of his office. He felt sick just looking at him.

"Look, I didn't mean for it to happen. It just happened! It's a long story, but the point is that it was only a kiss. And a hickey or two I suppose. That's all, I swear!" Taub was desperately trying to defend himself. "Chase, I'm telling the truth, am I not?"

Chase was still smiling and now he sighed: "It's true, we just kissed! There's nothing to be upset about, House! Things could never get serious between us…" He started laughing at this outrageous idea, and both House and Taub studied him with slight concern in their eyes.

"Wait, did you drug him or something?" Taub raised an eyebrow and turned to look at House. He knew a little to well that this was exactly how Chase would behave when high on pills.

"Oh don't judge me, Mr. I-only-raped-him-with-my-mouth!" House exclaimed, feeling more and more annoyed.

"House, please…"

"I don't need you in my office anymore. You go find Black Napoleon and that "Mudblood" of ours, Hermione Granger. Tell them to meet me in an hour so that we can talk about the patient!"

Taub looked as though he didn't understand a word. "You mean Foreman and Masters, right?"

"Well, who else?" House couldn't help but raising his voice at him. "Oh but before you go, tell me one last thing. Was the kiss at least consensual? Or did you take advantage of someone too stupid to say no?"

Taub was shocked that House would ask him about this so bluntly. He trembled slightly as he said: "It was completely consensual. Right, Chase?"

Chase just smiled at both of them. "Right," he agreed, "because I didn't want to lose the bet!"

After Taub had left the room, House turned to Chase and said: "It's time to get you out of that chair. Even if you like the smell of it. Now, follow me!"

However, it turned out to be rather difficult for Chase to even walk straight. The minute he got up from the chair, he started feeling dizzy. It was as though the ground was moving under his feet and he struggled not to lose his balance.

"Where are we going?" He asked House, doing his best to keep up with his boss as they left the office.

"Oh, I'm just going to check your stitches," House told him, "and make sure that your concussion isn't getting worse. I can't have you falling asleep in my office in the future, just because you're not fit for work."

House found that exam room five was not being used, so he ordered Chase to get up on the examination table and wait for him there.

"Where are you going?" For some reason, Chase looked unhappy when he saw that House was about to leave the room. "You're coming back right? If anyone's going to examine me, I want it to be you!"

House paused for a moment. Apparently, Chase trusted him more than he'd realized. He couldn't help but to fear that he would lose this trust if he knew that House had actually drugged him on purpose.

"Sure, I'll come back." He nodded to ensure Chase. "I am just going to let the nurse know that we are occupying this room. Stay right where you are, okay? Be right back."

As House closed the door behind him, Chase thought to himself that those last words sounded awfully familiar to him. _Be right back, Sleeping Beauty. _Where on earth had he heard those words before? And why had House reminded him of them all of a sudden? Chase just couldn't tell…

House had found nurse Brenda behind the desk in the reception. He knew that this wasn't right of him, but he had already made up his mind. Brenda was the one nurse who could never keep her mouth shut or keep anything to herself. It had to be her.

"Nurse," House called out to get her attention as he was approaching her, still leaning on his cane a little bit, "I just wanted to let you know that me and doctor Chase are occupying exam room five at this moment. We don't want anybody to disturb us for the next ten minutes, is that understood?"

Nurse Brenda looked up from her computer screen. Oh, House had her attention all right. And her curiosity. "You and doctor Chase?" She repeated and sounded slightly sceptical. "Why would you and doctor Chase need an exam room if you don't have a patient?"

"Because doctor Chase is the patient," House said and smirked, "I promised that I would do a secret examination of him. The kid's got a pretty embarrassing problem and he doesn't want anyone to know about it. That's why you can't let anybody in the room for a while, okay?"

House was struggling to keep a straight face. The nurse's reaction was just too funny. Her eyes had turned big enough to pop right out of the sockets.

"An embarrassing problem?" She asked, obviously not believing the doctor. "Well, what's wrong with him?"

"Oh, I really shouldn't tell you this, but…" House paused intentionally, knowing that this would make the woman even more curious, "He's got an STD. A pretty nasty one. I've never seen anything this gross in my entire life!"

"What?!" Brenda almost fell out of her chair. House figured that she might have a crush on the Aussie doctor as well. "Oh my god, is he going to be okay?"

"Oh sure," House shrugged his shoulders, "I just hope that people will stop trying to have sex with him. The thing he's got is awfully contagious! But now, you have to promise me that you won't say a word about this to anyone! He's really shy about it!"

House had turned his back on the nurse before she could even utter another word. He knew that his evil plan would work; there was no way that Brenda could keep this to herself. By this time tomorrow, he was certain that half of the hospital would know about this "STD". House wasn't feeling proud of himself. This was obviously a mean trick that could really damage Chase's reputation, but he didn't care. When he had heard that Taub had kissed Chase, he heart had almost stopped beating. He didn't know what it was, but for some reason he just felt so bothered with the idea of people taking advantage of his employee. House didn't want anyone to get near Chase again. And he knew that people would back off if they all thought that the blond was infected with a sexually transmitted disease.

He returned to the exam room where Chase was waiting for him. He couldn't help but to smile. Chase was his alone now. No doubt about it.


	8. Chapter 8

Chase was still sitting on the examination table when House returned. For once, he was acting all obedient. He smiled as House entered the room.

"What took you so long?" He asked, sounding genuinely happy to see his boss again.

"Oh, just the usual," House announced with a huff, "being a crippled never made me faster, you know. What's with the impatience anyway?"

"I'm not impatient, I was just wondering where you were!" Chase objected. "So you said you wanted to examine my stitches? Do you really think my concussion is getting worse?"

House didn't know how to respond. Truth be told, he hadn't brought Chase in here just to take a look at his head. He was sure that everything was fine with the Aussie, even if the head aches were severe. Instead, he had wanted to ask him a few questions now that he knew that the Vicodin had made Chase brutally honest. He would probably never have a second chance to do this. It had to be done now. And House had already thought up an idea of how to test his employee.

"Right, the head," House muttered and pretended to be deeply concerned with the stitches, "well, concussions can be tricky and you can never be too careful! Let me just take a look at you!"

This was all part of the plan, of course, and he moved towards the blond doctor sitting on the table in front of him. House was dead curious to find out how Chase would react to him getting closer and closer… Would he panic? Would he try to back away? House didn't want things to get awkward between them, but he desperately needed to know exactly how comfortable Chase felt with his boss's presence.

House knew that he had never been a people person himself. He even knew that some people felt repelled by him, that some people found him annoying and unpleasant to be around. He would drive his colleagues crazy. Nobody ever appreciated House's evil sense of humour, nor his mischievous behaviour. Everybody seemed to judge him and shake their heads at him – except Chase. House knew that the Australian was the only one who never seemed to get tired of House's sarcasm and the endless pranks. He only seemed to find it funny. Could it really be that the younger doctor didn't hate him, but in fact – perhaps – even felt attracted to an old, grumpy man by the name of Gregory House? House had no idea, but he could feel it in his stomach – the hope was beginning to take form. He desperately needed answers.

"While I'm examining your head," House said as he approached the younger man, still high on his Vicodin, "would you mind if I asked you a few questions?"

Chase didn't seem to mind House's forwardness at all, not even when the older man went behind his back and he couldn't see what he was doing. "Go ahead." Chase said, still sounding goofily cheery. "Although, I know all the routine questions by heart. I don't think you'll be able to find a question that I don't know the answer to!"

House chuckled and let out a small sigh. Chase could feel the other man's breath on his neck. "Oh, I wasn't gonna ask you any _routine_ questions. Asking you to name the president and your mother's maiden name, that just sounds boring doesn't it? Would you mind if the questions were more personal instead?"

"Nope!" Chase remarked calmly. "I am ready to answer anything! Shoot!"

House hesitated for a second, secretly admiring the blond doctor's accent, especially when he pronounced the word _shoot_. "All right then," House muttered and let out another breath, expecting this to make Chase shiver just slightly as it reached his bare neck again, "I've checked your stitches and everything looks fine. Let's do the Q&A face to face, shall we?"

House moved to the other side of the examination table. Chase had been kicking his legs a little bit, but now he remained very still. He smiled when House was standing right in front of him, deep blue eyes locked with his own.

"Look, House, we're equally tall now!" He noted and started giggling again. "Did you notice that?"

"Oh you wish you had my height!" House answered with a wry grin. "As soon as you get down from the table, you know I'm the bigger one of us!"

"_Crap!" _House then thought to himself. _"Why did that just sound sexy in my head?"_

Chase didn't get offended at all, but looked rather amused. "Oh, you're always bragging!"

"Right. That's because I've actually got something to brag about!" House remarked and took a little step closer. No reaction. "Let's get to it while we still have the room to ourselves, okay?"

"'Kay!" Chase agreed obediently. "You better get started then. What do you wanna ask me?"

House smirked and stepped forward once again. "Well, first of all… I want to ask you about the kiss you shared with Cuddy! You remember that, don't you?"

"Well, of course!" Chase sniggered. "How could I forget?"

"Oh, so it was that memorable, huh?" House knew that he sounded jealous, but he couldn't control himself. "Let me ask you this: Why did you kiss her?"

"I didn't," Chase admitted coolly, "she kissed me."

"Oh." House nodded. "And you just let it happen?"

"I guess so, yeah!"

"Why? I mean, did you enjoy it?"

"My god, House, you're so nosey!" Chase taunted him and grinned.

"Just answer my question, all right? You said you would." House pressured him.

"All right then, if you must know… No, I didn't enjoy it too much."

"Really?" House raised an eyebrow, very much surprised to hear this. Surprised, but relieved. "What was wrong with it? Cuddy's an attractive woman, isn't she? Is she a bad kisser perhaps?"

"Oh no, it's not that," all of a sudden, Chase was scared that he might have offended the dean of medicine behind her back, "you're right, she's attractive but it didn't feel right. I guess it felt like kissing your high school teacher. It was wrong."

House thought for moment. "Does that mean that you'd never get involved with one of your bosses? I mean, no matter who they were?"

Chase shrugged his shoulders. "If I had feelings for the person in question, I wouldn't care if it was my boss or not. But I don't have feelings for Cuddy, so it should never have happened."

House felt like jumping for joy that very moment, but he had to keep a straight face. Even if the kid was all doped, he'd still get suspicious. "In that case, why didn't you stop her?"

"Because I didn't want to lose my bet with Foreman." Chase admitted. "Anyway, she only kissed me because her stalker was there. She was just trying to scare him off!"

House's eyes grew very wide, like they did every time he had an epiphany. "So you and Cuddy kissed because she wanted to provoke her stalker? Let me guess, her stalker knocked you out because he wanted revenge, am I right?"

"Yeah." Chase smiled. "Well done, House. You always get your puzzles solved, don't you?"

"Oh you are not a puzzle!" House snorted. "Not an interesting one anyway!"

"Then why are you asking me these questions?"

House realized that Chase was smarter than he had expected, even on pills. Crap – maybe he was sobering up already? In that case, House had to hurry and get on with his test. He still wanted to know how Chase would react to him invading his personal space. Would he flinch if House got really close to him? Would he turn his face away?

"Look, smart-ass, I'm asking the questions here!" House said and moved forward again. Now he was standing so close to Chase that had it been anyone else, it would have felt uncomfortable and unnatural. But House was surprised how much he enjoyed this. He was free to study Chase's handsome face. His relaxed gaze and pretty mouth. He could even smell him now, and he smelled – so good. So fresh, so young. He desperately wanted to get closer to the other doctor. He longed to touch him. To run his fingers through the blond hair. He longed to find out what those slightly pink lips tasted like… But then House remembered that those lips had also been kissing Taub, only hours ago. And he forced himself to ask: "You didn't kiss Taub because you wanted to, did you?"

Chase seemed surprised by this question. It came out of nowhere, he thought. House was looking at him so intensely. He had never seen his boss's gaze so soft before. So serious. "No, I never wanted to kiss Taub," he said in all honesty, "it felt even more wrong than kissing Cuddy. He's married for God sakes! And most of the time, Taub and I don't even like each other."

House sniggered, very satisfied to hear this. "So I don't have to worry about my two ducklings falling in love and running away together?"

"Oh blimey, that would never happen!" Chase laughed. "Not Taub and I – not in a million years!"

"Good." Now, House moved as close to the table as he possibly could without touching Chase. Both of his hands were resting on the surface of the table now. It was time to really challenge Chase and his sense of personal space – because House wouldn't be giving him any. He studied the Australian carefully, waited for him to frown, to object or even push him out of his face. But Chase never did any of those things. He was so completely calm. Hell, it even looked as though he welcomed House to approach him. Could this really be true? Had House finally found someone who actually liked him? House had never felt this determined before in his entire life. He started to lean in. His face was only inches away from Chase's. "Now, answer me this," House breathed, "do you think that you could ever fall in love and run away with someone else?"

Chase could feel House's breath on his lips. He couldn't take his eyes off of his boss. He had never seen him like this before. House was acting so seductive – and it was working. Chase's heart was pounding. Not his head, but his heart. He could feel himself blush and soon his cheeks would be _burning _red. It was the most excited he had felt in years. Not even Cameron had made his heart beat like this. Not even once. How could this even be possible? House wasn't the kind of person who'd ever get close to anyone. House didn't even like other people. What had made Chase the exception?

Then Chase remembered that House had asked him a question. Could he ever fall in love and run away with someone else? Oh, of course he could! Especially – especially with someone like House. If the older doctor even wanted him to, that was. He opened his mouth and whispered the words: "Yes. Yes, I think that I could."

House grinned and leaned forward again. Now Chase really had to back away if he didn't want their lips to touch, because House was getting so close… Chase didn't back away at all. It was now or never, House decided. And he basically threw himself forward; he wrapped his arms around the Australian's slender waist as he attacked his mouth with his own. He didn't care if this seemed rash or inappropriate. House felt almost frustrated with impatience. He wanted more. Oh god, Chase was just edible! House desperately tried to deepen the kiss, forcing his own tongue into the younger doctor's mouth. And then he realized – Chase had opened his mouth voluntarily, allowing House to take this next step. He was enjoying it just as much as House was! It didn't take many seconds before Chase started moaning with pleasure, wrapping his arms around the standing doctor's neck. They were both trying to pull each other closer, they were both breathing heavily, they had both closed their eyes… And they both jumped when they heard a knocking on the door.

"Occupied!" House shouted and groaned with annoyance, praying that this would make the person on the other side of the door go away. Chase merely sniggered, pulling House close again, unwilling to break the kiss. House could have died with a big smile on his face just that moment. He loved Chase's eagerness, especially because he hadn't expected it. He didn't want to deny the kid another kiss so he tried to ignore the person by the door, tonguing Chase as deeply as before.

The knocking began again. And this time, it was followed by a bellow. _"House! I know it's you in there! Open up!"_

Crap! That was Cuddy! Both House and Chase were so startled by her voice that they immediately let go of each other, and House even took a step backwards. It was a good thing that he did, because a moment later, Cuddy had opened the unlocked door and entered the room.

"House!" She exclaimed accusingly, but then she noticed that it was Chase sitting on the examination table, and not a random patient. "Oh, doctor Chase," she added in a softer voice, "I didn't know you were in here, too. Is everything okay?"

"It was, until you burst in like that! Jesus Christ, woman, where are your manners?" House blurted out. He'd never been less happy to see his boss in his entire life.

"Excuse me, I have every right to be here!" Cuddy started telling him off. "You were extremely late this morning! You owe me at least five hours in the clinic!"

"Well, what does it look like I'm doing right now?" House objected and made a hand gesture towards Chase. "I am actually with a patient! And you interrupted the examination!"

Cuddy frowned disbelievingly. "Oh please, Chase is not a patient." But then she turned to take a look at the young man sitting on the examination table, looking slightly out of breath. "Wait, are you? Oh my, how come no one told me about this?"

It was obvious that Cuddy was expecting an answer from Chase, but the Australian was still under the influence of the Vicodin – and House's kisses. He couldn't focus; not on Lisa Cuddy anyway. She seemed so unimportant to him, even if it was his and House's boss. He didn't know what to say to her. He couldn't think of a single word that would explain this situation. All he could think about was House's warm breath on his lips and his demanding tongue in his mouth…

House could see that Chase was having a hard time getting his thoughts straight, and he understood. The Vicodin could be an overwhelming experience when you weren't used to pain killers. He didn't want Cuddy to find out that the intensivist was semi-high – he would hate for the kid to get in trouble because of him. So he decided to come to Chase's rescue by saying: "He was never admitted as a patient, but we have treated him for a minor head wound. Two stitches. And if you don't believe me, you might want to note that he's also slightly bruised!"

Cuddy took a step forward and studied the Australian's face carefully. How could she have missed the bruise above his jaw? But when did this happen? He hadn't been bruised when she kissed him – had he? If that was the case, she would come to feel extremely guilty for being so oblivious.

"I can see the bruise, thank you doctor House." She tried not to let the guilty conscience show in her voice. "What on earth happened to you, Chase? You weren't assaulted, were you?"

"Well…" Chase didn't know what to say. He knew that he shouldn't lie to her about this, since half of the hospital already knew about the incident with Cuddy's stalker. But he didn't want her to feel responsible, either. He knew that it wasn't her fault – how could she have known that he would be punched to the ground after the kiss? Suddenly, he turned his head to look at House. He felt vulnerable now that he couldn't even think straight and he desperately needed some help. House picked up on this, looking at Chase as though he was trying to say _don't worry, I got this_.

"I'm surprised you haven't heard about this," House turned to face Cuddy, "but doctor Chase here was assaulted by the man you were trying so hard to make jealous. He was punched in the face and he hit the back of his head as he was levelled with the ground. Very dramatic, right? People have been talking about it non-stop, but I suppose that also has something to do with you kissing your own employee. What I'm trying to say is that you should pay more attention to gossip! You have obviously missed out on a lot!"

House wasn't trying to guilt trip Cuddy in any way, but he knew that only the truth would make her back off. And he really wanted her to go away and leave them alone again.

"Oh my god!" Doctor Cuddy was looking rather pale and her big, round eyes revealed how shocked she was to hear this. "Doctor Chase, I am so sorry! I had no idea that this would happen!" She moved over to the examination table to lay her hand on the Australian's shoulder. "Please accept my apology! If I had known that Mr. Johnson was aggressive in any way, I would have been more careful! I should never have let my personal problem become yours – forgive me!"

Chase's head was spinning slightly. He knew that she was touching his shoulder, but he didn't feel it. All he could feel was House's arms around his waist and his lips crushed against his own… But he tried to focus; the dean of medicine looked sincerely terrified and he didn't want her to worry.

"You don't have to apologize," he nodded and offered her a hesitant smile, but he was barely able to move a muscle, "I'm fine now. It wasn't a big deal and it wasn't your fault!"

Cuddy seemed relieved to hear this. Her lips were pursed together, but she nodded and patted his shoulder briefly. "Thank you. Let me know if there is anything I can do for you. I would very much like to make this up to you somehow!"

She was interrupted by House who cried out: "Oh, Cuddy, there is no need for you to turn all cougar on the kid! Besides, nothing good ever came out of you pursuing him!" House could tell that she didn't find this funny at all, but he continued: "Now, are we done here? My employee and I both have things to tend to!"

"Sure." She muttered, looking at him quite sceptically. "You go back to doing your job, but I'm warning you, House, you better do the five hours of clinic work that you owe me tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow?" House spat. "But the team and I are already working on a case!"

"Then I suppose that you'll be a busy man tomorrow – for once in your life!"

She spun around and let herself out of the room without adding another word. The room turned quiet for a moment as House and Chase realized that they were alone with each other again. Then Chase decided to jump off of the table, only feeling slightly disorientated as he was standing on his feet again. House smirked and moved towards him, slowly.

"Thank you for talking to Cuddy for me," Chase said with a muffled voice, "I had no idea what to tell her."

"Yeah, you were struggling to even speak, weren't you?" House chuckled.

They were both watching each other now. They both seemed to want to approach each other again, but obviously, this wasn't a very good idea. This room wasn't save enough. They could get interrupted by a nurse any second. So House decided that even though he was dying to touch and kiss Chase again, they should make more practical plans.

"We're meeting with the team in the diagnostics room in ten minutes," he told Chase, "so we should both get going. But here's an idea…" House couldn't help but to pause. What he was about to suggest took an awful lot of courage. Especially because it wasn't thought through at all. "Why don't you stop by my place tonight? We should have a talk or something, I suppose. Even if I'm not a big fan of talking."

Chase's face lit up and all of a sudden, he was smiling beamingly. "I'd like that," he giggled and the sound was so endearing, House thought, "just tell me when to be there."

"Like Shakespeare's Romeo would put it," House remarked as he grabbed his cane, "by the hour of nine!"

As they were about to leave the exam room, Chase glanced at House without the older doctor noticing it. He admired him so much. Just being with him had always cheered him up. But now, Chase thought, House wasn't only making him feel better. He was making him feel _perfect_.


	9. Chapter 9

Chase sobered up by the end of the day. Meeting with House and the rest of the team in the diagnostics room had been a true nightmare; he kept drying the sweat off of his own forehead as he was struggling to remain still in his seat. The influence of the Vicodin was wearing off, but Chase still didn't feel in control of his own body. He couldn't focus at all. He felt like running, jumping… Anything but sitting still. His entire body seemed so energetic now. He was dying to do something with this new rush of energy. He was dying to kiss House again…

House was doing his best not to look at Chase as he was facing his team. He was writing something on the board, but his mind was elsewhere. He decided to let his team take over from here, just this one time.

"Foreman!" House yelled out and turned his back on the board. "Read the newest symptoms aloud to us!"

"But you just wrote all the symptoms on the whiteboard!" Foreman argued as he frowned. He didn't think that he should have to read the words aloud to his colleagues; they were all very capable of reading House's writing themselves.

"It wasn't a question!" House answered him in a firm voice. "Now, read – I just can't get enough of that sweet, gentle voice of yours!"

This mocking remark earned House a smile from Chase, but the Australian struggled to hide it from his team mates. The truth was that House had asked Foreman to read the words aloud because he knew that it was practically impossible for Chase to keep his eyes on the whiteboard. His mind was still wandering, and his thoughts were still slightly clouded. His vision might even be blurry, too. House knew that the Vicodin came with side effects. He had just forgotten about these side effects now that he had gotten so used to taking the pills himself.

Foreman rolled his eyes. He knew that House was making fun of him. "Fine," he sighed, "the newest symptoms are rough skin and rashes on the patient's hands, bleeding from these rashes, fevers, head aches, insomnia…"

He continued reading House's notes aloud, and then he stated: "Look, this is obviously an allergic reaction of some kind. It's just incredibly severe, I guess. We should go check out the patient's apartment."

"Whoa, slow down there!" House objected, pointing his cane towards Foreman. "Who made you the boss all of a sudden? I'm sure that your team mates would like to have a say in this case!"

Foreman started frowning again, but was quickly interrupted by both Masters and Taub who certainly had ideas of their own. This, however, made Chase feel extremely bad about his own lack of participation. Right from the start in this case, he'd been distracted by all sorts of things and they all made him feel incredibly unprofessional. (Although, it wasn't actually his fault that he was struggling with a concussion now. Or that Cuddy, Taub and House had all been craving his attention). He promised himself that he would make up for the lack of work as soon as he could. He just needed a good night's sleep. He needed to rest his head, but at the same time he also desperately needed to talk to House. He couldn't stop thinking about what had happened in the exam room…

"Doctor Chase," House interrupted his string of thoughts and looked at him, coolly, "you seem awfully quiet this afternoon. Do you have anything to add?"

Suddenly, all eyes were on him. Everyone had probably noticed the sweating, the paleness and the complete lack of concentration, but Chase merely shrugged his shoulders and pretended that he wasn't bothered by this. Oddly enough, he knew that House had only brought this attention on him in order to protect him. The others would only have gotten suspicious if House hadn't commented on Chase's strange, unaware behaviour at all.

"Sure. I'm with Masters on this one." Chase nodded, and for once everyone seemed to accept this simple, easy-way-out answer.

A few hours later, the patient had received a new treatment and everyone on the team was ready to leave for the day. A few people had approached Chase because they were surprised to find that he was even at work when it had only been one day since he was assaulted. Masters had also talked to him – she suspected that he wasn't feeling any better, and she made sure to let him know that the bruising above his jaw only seemed to grow darker. Chase appreciated the concern, but truth be told, he was only feeling tired. Not too bad at all, really. He was still thinking about House every second and that was something which kept him going.

House was still in his office, talking to Wilson over the phone. Masters was paying the patient a last visit and Foreman and Taub had already left the hospital. It was about six o'clock. Chase decided to grab a quick shower before catching the bus home. He had been sweating an awful lot, which was really weird but either way, he just wanted to clean himself up.

However, he was soon to regret this decision. The shower had resulted in him leaving the hospital a little later than usual and as a consequence, he missed his bus by half a minute only. And like that wasn't bad enough, the rain had started to pour down on him, making him shiver and freeze all of a sudden. Within two short minutes, he was soaking wet. He sat down on a narrow bench, desperately hoping that this wouldn't spoil his plans with House.

"_Hey!" _Chase looked up as a car had pulled over by the bus stop. It was House, and he had rolled the window down so that Chase could hear him. _"Hey, get over here, will you?" _House commanded him with a wry smile.

Chase basically ran towards the car. "House!" he gasped, almost feeling like a drowned rat. "I thought you'd left the hospital already!"

"Well, you know me – always working late like a dog!"

"Yeah right!" Chase giggled.

House looked at him, the wry and devilish smile still on his lips. "So tell me, is it a habit of yours to just sit there in the rain, looking all pale and pathetic? You Aussies really aren't good with rainy weather, are you?"

"Oh, very funny!" Chase said and wiped a few raindrops off his face. "I just happened to miss the bus is all!"

"I see." House muttered, somehow finding this rather amusing. "How long do you have to wait for the next one?"

Chase looked at his watch. "I don't know. About fifty minutes, give or take."

"Oh, is that all? My bad, I thought it'd be an hour!" House was mocking him, but then – oddly enough – he started feeling bad for the kid. He'd been through enough for one day. "Hop in." He said, making a gesture that Chase should get inside the car. "Before you drown out there!" He added.

Chase couldn't believe this. Since when did House ever offer anyone to do them a favour? "Are you sure?" He hesitated before opening the door to the front seat. "I mean, I'll get everything dripping wet in there."

House just glanced at him. "Oh, you're an Aussie – you shouldn't make a big deal out of a little water. Now, get in! We're going straight to my place, that should save us some time, don't you think?"

Chase got in the car and they drove off together. It was still pouring down and for a while, the only sound heard was the raindrops landing on the roof of the car. It wasn't that Chase felt tensed or uncomfortable. It was just that House seemed so quiet now that he was driving and he got the impression that his boss preferred this – driving in silence.

Yet, it was House who broke the silence after a few minutes. "You're staring at me!" He said without taking his eyes off the road. His voice sounded perfectly neutral so that Chase couldn't tell if he was annoyed by this or not.

"Sorry." Chase muttered, looking down at his own wet shoes instead. "I was just wondering about something."

"Yeah? What's that?" House asked him, still not paying his employee too much attention.

Chase took a deep breath, looking up at House again. "Why did you drug me earlier?"

House nearly pulled a face to reveal his surprise at this question, but he managed to stay calm and keep control of the situation. "Who told you that? Did Taub really have the guts to tell on me? I didn't see that coming, to be honest."

Chase shook his head. "Taub didn't say a word. Wait, was he in on this?" Suddenly, he felt like he'd been the victim of a very strange complot that he didn't quite understand.

"No, the Vicodin was all me," House admitted, "so how did you know?"

"Please, House, I'm a doctor. I'm very familiar with doped people, I'll have you know. And let me just say that I know you well enough, too. This does seem like something you'd do."

House couldn't hold back a smirk. "So you can see right through me now, can you? Maybe I shouldn't have re-hired you after all!"

Chase just laughed at that. "So why did you drug me? There must have been a good reason because I was acting like a complete idiot!"

"Oh yes you were!" House agreed with a smile. "Look, I was just trying to be helpful. You were in pain, right? Well, the Vicodin took care of that!"

Chase was now studying House's neutral expression and he noted that his boss still wasn't looking at him. "Are you sure that's the reason why you did it?" He asked, trying not to sound too disbelieving.

"Positive!" House stated without even blinking. "You're not mad at me, are you?"

Chase paused for a moment and the inside of the car turned very silent again. "Of course not." He then said, offering House a wry smile even if he wasn't looking. "Thanks for doing it. It did help a lot, you know."

Finally, House turned his head and he grinned, seemingly content now. "So," he said, winking at his soaking-wet employee, "how about this: We pick up some food on the way and then we go to your place instead. Looks like you could use some dry clothes!"

Chase seemed to really appreciate this idea and he nodded. "Sounds good to me!"

Forty minutes later, they had picked up some Chinese food and Chase was leading the way to his apartment – up on the third floor. He offered to carry the bags and he kept apologizing to House, feeling bad that he had to struggle with the stairs like this.

"I should have told you there's no elevator." He watched as House had to stop and catch his breath the second they reached the third floor.

"What are you talking about? I'm fine!" House gasped, heavily leaning on to his cane for a few moments. "Let's go inside, shall we?"

Chase nodded and searched through his pockets for the key. As they entered the apartment together, House had fully recovered from the struggle of getting upstairs. Yet, Chase thought that he looked a little troubled and he offered House to take a seat so that he could rest his leg.

"So where do you want to eat? In front of the TV or at the dinner table?" Chase asked him as he was preparing the trays containing their meals. "Either way is fine with me!"

House realized that Chase seemed determined to make him feel at home. He could have easily just taken up the couch by now, and the kid wouldn't have minded at all. But he didn't want Chase to think of him as a tired, old crippled man who couldn't even walk a few stairs without collapsing completely. He wanted to come off as someone strong and powerful. Someone full of drive and energy, like Chase himself. So he didn't sit down at all.

"I have another idea!" House remarked, approaching Chase with determination. He made sure not to reveal the twitching in his leg.

"What's that?" Chase asked him without suspecting a thing. He was still occupied with the food on the table so he never even noticed it when House licked his lips as if he was undressing his employee with his eyes.

House thought that the wet hair and the soaked, closefitting clothes made Chase even sexier, even if he hadn't thought it possible. He adored the Aussie's slim, boyish figure. And he worshiped the pretty mouth, the blue eyes and all the golden skin. It all seemed so real to him now. He'd imagined it a hundred times before when he was dreaming, but this was the real deal – and it was even better than he could ever have wished for. Kissing Chase had been the strongest sensation he'd ever felt in his life and he was desperate to experience the blond doctor's soft lips again. He tasted sweeter than anything else in the world… House wanted to jump the kid. He wanted to grab him, hold onto him tightly and make him his own. He wanted to possess him.

"I say we do it standing instead!" House muttered and before Chase could even ask, he had taken another step forward, forcing Chase to turn around so that he could enclose his employee in his arms.

"House! Oh my-" But Chase wasn't even able to finish his sentence before House's open mouth was covering his. He felt himself give in immediately. House was pulling him closer and bloody hell, the older man felt so incredibly strong! Chase had to take a step backwards as House was starting to lean against his body, using all his weight. Before he knew it, he was being pushed up against the kitchen table. House made sure to keep the Australian in a locked position so that he couldn't escape him. This time there was no one to interrupt them by knocking on the door.

"Perfect!" House groaned with a devilish smile and deepened the kiss once again. He forced himself into Chase's mouth, using his eager tongue to explore every inch, every corner… Chase was fully relaxed, it seemed, and he had begun to moan again. Now, that was a sound that truly turned House on. It encouraged him; ensured him that he was doing everything right. Chase breathed heavily and moaned for each and every movement House was making. Every time House's tongue moved to increase his own domination of the kiss, Chase's knees grew weaker. Now it was only House and the kitchen table that kept him from falling to the ground in complete surrender. He had no desire to resist House's oral attacks. He would let him do whatever he wanted – because he had never felt anything as wonderful as this in his life.

House began to rock his own pelvis back and forth a couple of times, desperately trying to push himself further against Chase. These forceful movements earned him a series of noises that revealed just how much this seemed to thrill Chase. House was overjoyed by this. He silenced Chase's groaning with his own mouth, not even willing to let go for a second. The kid was probably in need of more air, but House couldn't bring himself to pause. Then he felt Chase's hands move upwards, and the next thing he felt was a hand, softly caressing the back of his neck and his hairline.

House was amazed by this. He hadn't been caressed by anyone for years! Of all the random prostitutes he'd been with whenever he was bored or lonely, none of them had touched him more than necessary. And when they did, it had felt shallow. Like they were only doing it because it might earn them an extra monetary reward. But the way Chase did it… It felt completely genuine. House had never expected his employee to be so loving now that he was sober. What did this mean? Chase didn't have feelings for him, did he?

House had tightened his arms around Chase's waist when suddenly, he felt a sharp pain cutting through his right thigh. It was so intense that he nearly lost his balance; he literally fell against Chase, leaning on to him for support.

"House! What's wrong?" Chase broke the kiss immediately and looked at his boss in shock. "Was it something I did?"

"Don't… be… silly!" House could barely speak for a moment. He gasped and grabbed his thigh, and finally, Chase knew what was going on.

"Oh!" He breathed. "You're having cramps in your leg again, aren't you?" House nodded, and Chase quickly made sure to place his arm around House's shoulders to keep him from falling over. "I've got you. Let me help you over to the couch, okay?"

House didn't like this idea one bit. He hadn't wanted to break the kiss and he felt disappointed in himself for being this weak. He'd wanted to show Chase how manly he was and look what had happened! He felt pathetic… Chase continued to support him and they made it over to the couch. House nearly collapsed into the cushions and he still had to hold a hand over the twitching muscle in his thigh. The pain was getting worse…

"God dammit!" He said and clenched his teeth. This was unbearable!

"Where's your Vicodin?" Chase asked him, hovering over the couch. He felt deeply concerned, even if he had seen House like this so many times before. "Did you leave it in the car? Let me go get it for you…"

"No wait!" House panted and raised a hand that was meant to stop Chase. "I don't… I don't have any pills left. I… emptied… the bottle… earlier."

Chase was now staring at him, disbelievingly. "Please don't tell me that you used your last Vicodin on me! House, how could you do that? You obviously need it more than me!"

"You were… in pain!" House couldn't even look at the Australian now. He felt too ashamed of himself. "I didn't like… seeing you… that way!" He added.

Chase's heart nearly broke at those words. How could all of this be happening? Since when did House care about him so much? How could he put his employee's well-being before his own? He felt so incredibly touched. To his knowledge, no one had ever cared about him enough to make a gesture like this one. Not even Cameron would have done something like this to make him feel better, and _she _was known to be the Good Samaritan! How ironic…

Chase sat down beside his boss and looked him in the eyes. "But now _you're_ in pain!" He said. "And I don't like seeing you that way either."

House huffed, but tried to hold a smile at the same time. "Don't worry… You don't have to… give me those puppy dog eyes of yours! I'm not dying, you know. Besides… I already called Wilson earlier. He will have… a new prescription ready for me… in the morning."

Chase nodded, but couldn't shake the feeling of being responsible for House's distress now. He really should have warned him that there was no elevator in this building. And he should have ordered him to take a seat when they had entered the apartment.

"Is there anything I can do?" He asked, suddenly staring right at House's thigh even if he knew that his boss didn't welcome this kind of staring from people. "I could… I don't know. I could try to give you a massage?"

House took him by surprise when he started laughing. "Oh, you're just looking for an excuse to touch me again, aren't you? But please, be my guest if you can't keep your hands to yourself!"

Chase had started blushing, but he was determined to try and ease House's pain. "You've always had such a dirty mind, House!" He replied coolly. But then he elegantly moved to the floor instead, and he knelt down in front of his boss.

"So this is where the naughtiness begins!" House remarked with a lewd grin and leaned back into the cushions. "Help yourself all you want!"

"Shut up!" Chase shook his head and chuckled. "You are only in for a massage, remember! Now, tell me if it hurts, okay?"

House sighed and acted all disappointed to hear this. "Okay then – but go gentle on me, please! I'm a massage-virgin, you see!"

Chase was used to House's joking, but it still made him smile every time. He slowly moved his hands to House's right thigh. He knew that he had to be firm in order to make the cramps go away, but at the same time, he didn't want to hurt House. He felt nervous all of a sudden, but then he pulled himself together.

House couldn't help but to let out a gasp when Chase laid hands on his thigh. At first, his muscle seemed way too sensitive for this, but then Chase began to move his fingers very gingerly. He was so careful not to cause the older man any pain. He was so gentle… Just the idea of being touched by the Australian, even if it was in a non-sexual manner, had House biting his lip. Before he knew it, he had closed his eyes shut and he was relaxing his full body. It felt so good. He was overwhelmed with relief when the cramping stopped. Chase was a natural at this! House couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this comfortable. It was amazing! He let out a long, happy sigh, and Chase continued to massage him with a smile on his face. He was relieved to see that his boss was all right now.

"You're the best…" House muttered happily without even opening his eyes. He was breathing heavily again and it was a heavenly sensation. He'd really meant it, though. No one had ever been able to do what Chase was doing to him right now. House felt it as though he was in the middle of a wonderful trance. He didn't know how to wake up from it again. He didn't want to wake up at all… He could feel Chase's warm hands still working on him. And he felt like the luckiest son of a bitch alive.

Suddenly, he was brought back to reality when Chase stopped moving his hands and said: "House? You didn't fall asleep, did you? Come on, we haven't even had our dinner yet and we still have so much to talk about!"

House finally opened up his eyes again and he was staring right at Chase. The young man's hair was still wet and he looked drop-dead gorgeous!

"Okay, okay," House smiled, "you're right – we have many things to do on our list!"


	10. Chapter 10

House was still excited to think about the massage he'd just been given. His leg felt so much better right now, even without the help from the Vicodin. Chase had told him to stay right where he was while he changed into some dry clothes, and then the kid had brought House his dinner and a cold beer to enjoy in the couch.

"God bless you!" House said as he was handed the beer. "You'll make a wonderful housewife some day!"

"Ha-ha, very funny! I just happen to know what you like!" Chase said, moving a chair to the other side of the small coffee table so that he was facing House. This way, he was also blocking the TV.

"Oh, I thought you'd let me watch TV while we're eating! You're not the ideal housewife after all, I suppose!" House moaned dramatically and rolled his eyes.

"Come on, House, I thought it'd be nice to have a chat instead!" Chase said, not taking House's complaining too seriously. "Don't you agree?"

"Sure," House was stuffing his face now and it was becoming impossible for Chase to even understand what he was saying now that his mouth was full, "'were… always... strict… wi' Cam'ron?" House chewed loudly, not even bothered to keep his mouth closed. It was like eating with a small child.

"Hold on, I can't understand a word you're saying!" Chase laughed, looking at his boss with amazement in his eyes. He was the only person who could pull this acting-like-a-baby thing off and still be sexy.

House swallowed his food. "I said: Were you always this strict with Cameron? Did you also forbid her to watch TV when you were eating with her?"

"Yeah, right!" Chase snorted. "Try the other way around! She was the one who taught me my manners, you know! She always used to say that watching TV in the middle of your dinner was a bad habit!"

House looked up, still champing his food without a care. "That's just stupid! No, I don't like that rule one bit!"

"Well, I tried arguing with her in the beginning," Chase admitted with a grin, "but she never liked it when I disagreed with her."

House made a sound to indicate that he wasn't surprised to hear this. "Reminds me of Stacy! She was all 'don't do this, don't do that!' She wouldn't even let me put my feet up on the table!"

Chase raised an eyebrow. "Well, guess what," he said and pointed to the coffee table between them, "this is my place and I say: Put your feet up on the table all you want!"

House was speechless for a second. Even Wilson was hesitant to let him do that whenever he was visiting at his apartment. He looked at Chase and he felt like he was truly free to be himself. So he instantly put his feet up on the table, already feeling at home. "Well this – this is amazing!" He said and took a sip from his beer. "A guy like me could really get used to this!"

"You've earned it," Chase said, leaning back in the chair, "besides, I don't like telling people what they can and cannot do!"

"I know." House smiled at the thought. "You're nothing like Cameron! Thank God for that!"

"Oh, she wasn't so bad!" Chase felt like he had to say something to defend his ex-wife even if there had been some really bad experiences. "She just liked to, I don't know, mother people. But at the same time, she would also correct me and complain about me to her girl friends when she thought that I wasn't Mr. Perfect!" Chase chuckled. "You know, she would sometimes make me feel like I wasn't good enough. She was always acting like she deserved to find someone better than me!"

House had no idea what to say. He wanted to tell Chase that Cameron had been utterly wrong and that she could _never _find a man half as good as him. But he was scared to reveal how much he actually liked his employee. So instead, he brought up Stacy again. "Women are like that sometimes. Well, _some_ women at least! Stacy used to scold and tell me off all the time. She never understood my sense of humour!" _Or my pranks_, House thought to himself.

"Well, not a lot of people do, House!" Chase remarked. But naturally, he failed to mention that he himself was an exception. He'd always loved his boss's irony. He couldn't imagine himself getting upset about House's jokes and puns.

They were both silent for a moment. Then House said: "You know what? I think you need me to reverse all the crap that Cameron taught you! I think you need me to help you get rid of those manners. Her influence on you was too good! No man should ever have to change himself just to make a woman think that he is perfect!"

Chase shook his head. Oh, this was so typical of House! "What are you saying? Should I let you have a _bad_ influence on me in order to cancel out Cameron's?"

"Well, I don't know. I'm just saying that I could always test you every now and then!"

"Test me?" Chase frowned. "How would you do that?"

House thought for a moment. "I will make you break one of her rules. Right here and now. I think that might make you feel better! So tell me, how about breaking her "no TV" rule? That seems like a great place to start!"

Chase should have seen this coming. House wasn't a believer of taking no for an answer. It was like trying to take the remote away from a four-year-old. House wouldn't give up until he'd won it back. "All right," he said and moved the chair so it wasn't blocking the TV anymore, "you might have a point! I guess it would feel good to do something that I have been denied for years!"

"Yes, I am very smart!" House agreed. "And I am always right, too. You can consider this TV-watching a new kind of therapy! Invented by me!"

"Sure!" Chase decided to just play along with it. "And what do I owe you for teaching me this valuable lesson?"

"How about another beer?" House suggested and raised his empty bottle to demonstrate that he'd run out. "I'm thirsty!"

A few minutes later, they were sitting next to each other in the couch, watching comedy shows and drinking beers. As they finished eating, Chase took out the empty trays and then he returned to the couch, taking his seat right next to his boss again. They were both enjoying themselves immensely. They'd lost all track of time – it was like the world outside had stopped existing. There was no one else but the two of them. When the programme had ended, they turned off the TV and went back to just talking. And laughing.

They had never noticed it before, but they both found that the other was so easy to talk to. They got along so well and even though he knew that House's past had been full of pain, Chase really felt like they had something in common. He felt like he understood House. He understood that the things he'd been through had changed him, but at the same time, he knew that he wasn't a hopeless case. House would sometimes pretend that he was; pushing people around him away because he didn't want them to get too close to him. But it was all an act. Chase knew that House needed people even if he was afraid to show it. He'd been hurt so many times and he was obviously afraid to trust someone again, but Chase wanted him to know that he should never be afraid to trust _him_. He could never do anything to let House down. He'd rather die than hurt the man who'd been through so much already.

Chase really wanted to change the subject and ask House about the kisses they had shared. But he was afraid that this was something House wasn't ready or willing to discuss. He feared that he'd read too much into House's romantic gestures. It had all felt so good, so right – but what if House didn't mean anything by it? What if he'd only been looking to get laid and he'd only turned to Chase because he knew that he wasn't supposed to turn anyone down this week? No – that was just too silly, Chase told himself. House would never take advantage like that! He wasn't one to just kiss an employee for the fun of it. It had to be more meaningful than that!

Meanwhile, House was looking at Chase and it hit him that he was more comfortable around him than he'd ever been with any of his past girlfriends. He'd already experienced more joy and happiness kissing this kid than he'd ever experienced it with Stacy. She had never allowed House to be himself. She had been trying to change him, just like Cameron had been trying to change Chase. But House and Chase were both so alike. House couldn't believe himself for only realizing all of this now. Stacy had never made him happy. She had only made him feel ashamed of himself. Chase, however – he knew how to make House feel. For the first time, he wasn't being judged at all.

But there was still one thing. House had never been with another man before, obviously. He had never been attracted to other men before he met Chase. Meeting Chase had changed him completely. He'd liked the Australian from day one, but when he'd started a relationship with Cameron, House had forced himself to forget about it. Now that Chase was divorced and on his own again, House was desperate to take a next step with him. He would never forgive himself if he lost Chase to someone else – again.

Chase had to be his! But how? House was scared that the kid wouldn't want to be in a relationship with someone who was twenty years older than him. What if Chase wasn't interested in him at all? House was starting to fall for him and he just couldn't afford to get hurt again. It would be too much. Too painful. It would probably kill him.

What if Chase was only doing this because Foreman had made a bet with him? What if he would dump House as soon as the bet was over? What if House was making a fool of himself now? Had he been an idiot to even kiss Chase? Maybe he had gotten his hopes up too high. He wanted Chase so bad, but what if he could never have him?

Suddenly Chase interrupted House's string of thoughts by putting down his beer on the table and turning to face him. He looked him in the eyes for a moment and they both turned completely silent. House couldn't even make jokes now. He was utterly overwhelmed by the way Chase was looking at him.

"House, I…" Chase couldn't find the words to say. He wanted to tell his boss so many things. He wanted to ask him a million questions, but they had all escaped him now. So instead, he moved closer to House, slowly enough for the other man to stop him if he wanted to back out. But when House didn't move at all, Chase carefully pressed his lips against his. The Aussie's lips brushed over House's in such a sweet manner. It almost felt like he was caressing him with his mouth. It felt so affectionate and loving. House remembered how he had merely forced his own tongue down Chase's throat in the exam room and it made him feel slightly guilty – even if it had been sexy as hell, he'd left out the sense of romance. Chase was reminding him of that just now – how to be romantic.

House had no idea that he could enjoy a kiss this much. It was fantastic. Once again, his feelings for Chase had been taken to a new level. There was no going back. He couldn't get enough. The touch of his wonderful employee was beginning to turn into a pure addiction for him, House realized. He wanted to give in. He wanted Chase so bad…

House raised a hand to caress Chase's cheek, doing his best to return the romantic gesture. Then he ran his fingers through the soft strands of blond hair and the need for more overpowered him. He took a hold of Chase's hands and leaned in, trying to push his employee down into the cushions. When he was overwhelmed with impatience, House practically mounted him, making sure that Chase was on his back and trapped underneath him. Chase giggled – he didn't resist at all.

"Oh you can laugh all you want!" House smiled at him. "But you're in big trouble now!"

He tried to push him further down into the cushions, making sure that his full body was covering the Australian's. Chase would soon stop giggling – House was gonna make sure of that. He captured his lips and deepened the kiss immediately. He'd come to quite like the inside of the Aussie's mouth, but then he reminded himself that the kiss should be more experimental this time. He wanted to try out something different. House began to nibble at Chase's bottom lip, biting down on it a few times. He tried to be careful; he would have hated for it to hurt but Chase only seemed thrilled. House noted that he'd already left little bite marks. Chase's lips were so soft and the biting had made them turn slightly pink. House licked the bite marks with his tongue, slowly and thoroughly. Then he started sucking on the entire lip, as if he was trying to suck out the taste of it. Chase's sweet, wonderful taste…

He felt Chase move underneath him, so House secured the grip he had of Chase's hands, pinning him down as a reminder of the fact that there was no escape. House was not releasing him yet. He began to kiss his face, moving his lips over the Aussie's cheeks, chin, nose and forehead. Then he moved on to the kid's neck – and exactly that earned him the reaction from Chase that he'd hoped for. He could feel Chase shiver and tremble underneath him, so House made the oral attacks even more intense. He was able to look past the bruising and the hickeys that had been put there by another man. It didn't matter now. House was sure that no one had ever kissed Chase as intensely as he was doing it right now… He bit down on his neck and followed up by licking the warm skin with his tongue. He repeated this little procedure a couple of times: He bit Chase, but made sure to make up for it by licking and kissing the small marks that were made on his skin. His lovely, tanned skin.

"You're so delicious!" House whispered in his ear. "So delicious…"

Chase sighed and moaned loudly every time House bit down on his exposed skin. And when House had suddenly whispered those words in his ear, he had started trembling and his entire body had jerked. He was now completely unable to control himself. When his body had jerked, though, House had done his best to cancel it out by making himself heavier, pushing Chase's body further down on the couch, holding him very still. House realized that Chase's ears seemed to be a particularly sensitive area. He grinned devilishly as he took the small earlobe into his mouth and sucked on it. Chase squirmed and attempted to move his body again, but House was the strongest one of them.

"Oh, isn't your skin just nice and sensitive?" House teased him and breathed right into his ear canal on purpose. Chase gasped and made an attempt to turn his head to the side, but this wasn't enough to stop House. "Nice try!" House chuckled, right before sticking the tip of his tongue in there.

"Oh God, House!" Chase exclaimed. "Please - no!"

Oh how wonderful, House thought. Chase wasn't only sensitive to his touch, he was also ticklish! He couldn't have asked for anything better. He started moving the tip of his tongue again and Chase squirmed, unable to remain still even though his entire body had been trapped. House returned to the kid's bare neck, moving the tip of his tongue slowly from the earlobe and all the way down to the collar bone. Then he attacked Chase's Adam's apple by ghosting his lips across it, suddenly breathing heavily.

Chase let out a whimper as he kept struggling underneath House's body weight. He made a half-hearted attempt to free his hands, but House was prepared for this and he made sure to pin down the Aussie all over again. He couldn't believe how turned on he was by all of this – it was every little noise that Chase was making, along with every movement, every jerk, every shiver… It all added up. He loved the idea of overpowering his young employee. He liked taking control and being the dominant one. Chase was so responsive. House could never have done anything like this to Stacy – she would never have moaned or done anything to indicate that she was enjoying his touches. He had never wanted to touch her that badly anyway. Sure, he'd been attracted to her, but it was nothing compared to his feelings for Chase…

Wait – did House really have feelings for the kid? What the hell was he thinking? It was all moving too fast all of a sudden. After all, they had only been kissing each other a few times by now. Nothing about their relationship had been serious so far. Now that House came to think of it, he hadn't even done anything to Chase that Cuddy and Taub hadn't already done. Not really.

Chase moaned and began to squirm again, and just like that, House froze. He'd come to realize that his groin was pressed against Chase's pelvis and like that wasn't bad enough – House was now very aware of the fact that he was erect. How long had he been that way? Jesus Christ, he was sure that Chase must have noticed it, too! There was no hiding it. It was all too late!

In the blink of an eye, House had released Chase's hands and now he struggled to lift himself off of the kid. He was finally able to sit in an upright position on the couch, but his legs were still mingled with Chase's.

"House, what's wrong?" Chase looked up at him in deep concern. "Is it your leg? Did it start cramping again?" He moved to untangle himself from his boss. "Here, let me help you…"

"No," House said and turned his face the other way, "no, it's not my leg. I-I'm sorry, but I can't do this. I thought I could, but I can't!" House stood up from the couch, trying to maintain his balance.

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Chase now looked even more terrified than before. He didn't understand a word! House had seemed so eager, so content only a few seconds ago! What the hell happened?

"I have to go!"

House took a few steps towards the door. He already felt like a jerk for turning his back on the kid and leaving him like this, but there was no other way. He simply couldn't deal with his emotions right now. He was so confused. He could barely recognize himself. He had to take some time alone to think this through. He didn't want to make any mistakes – he didn't want to end up with a broken heart again. If Chase had only been playing him so far because he didn't want to lose his bet with Foreman, House needed to find out and stop whatever he'd been doing with him before it was too late. This time, House had to look out for himself. Even if that meant hurting Chase instead.

He glanced at Chase who was still on the couch, looking more lost and baffled than ever. His eyes had turned wide with wonder and his lips were slightly parted as if he was about to ask a question. His hair had become messy and this tormented House in particular – how could be bring himself to abandon someone so beautiful when he could have had him right here, right now?

"I'm sorry," House said again and he sounded hoarse, "please don't call me or anything. I'll just see you tomorrow at work. It's easier this way, trust me!"

He approached the door, and even though Chase called out his name numerous times, he walked out of the apartment without further hesitation. As he shut the door behind him and was facing the stairs again, though, his leg started to cramp. The sudden pain was killing him, but House couldn't tell if the pain was related to his physical or emotional distress. All he knew was that it hurt like a bitch.

Life had turned ugly again. He decided that he needed Wilson's help more than anything. Yes, Wilson would know what to do. Perhaps he could even help House figure out what Chase's true intentions were. Wilson could find out if the kid had been bluffing or not when he'd kissed House. Because that was the one question he desperately needed answered.


	11. Chapter 11

The following day, everything seemed so hopeless. The world outside seemed so dark and grey that Chase could barely bring himself to get out of bed. He hadn't slept well at all – he'd spent hours that night lying awake, thinking about what he'd done wrong with House. There had to be something that he was missing. The answer was perhaps staring him right in the face, but he still couldn't see it. Was it something he'd said? Was it something he had failed to say? He just didn't know. Either way, he was bound to face House in a few hours and it would be awkward as hell.

He was gazing at his own reflection in the mirror. It felt like looking at someone he didn't even know. The person staring back at him was unrecognizable. He looked so utterly alone. It was an image that reminded Chase of himself after the death of his mother. Everyone had said that he looked so abandoned in this world. So sad and sorrowful. And now the nightmare was to start all over again… Surviving on your own was so brutal.

As he arrived at the hospital an hour later, he tried to swallow a lump in his throat that just wouldn't go away. He felt dead nervous. His hands were even shaking. How on earth was he supposed to face anyone today when he was feeling like crap? How was he supposed to talk to patients and act like nothing was going on so that his colleagues wouldn't get suspicious? It wasn't just that he felt humiliated and insecure after being dumped by House that quickly. He felt sad, too. Heart-broken. But it wasn't the same kind of sadness that had overwhelmed him when Cameron had decided to leave him. This was so much worse. He knew that he could easily live without Cameron, but House had played such an important role in his life. He'd been so much more than a mentor. He'd made Chase smile even when there was nothing to smile about. House had always believed in him, it seemed. He had convinced Chase that he was skillful and just as smart as his colleagues, even when he doubted himself. He had reminded him of what it felt like to love someone, body and soul, even when the strong emotions turned painful to carry. He knew how much he'd miss House. They hadn't been together as such, but Chase had certainly felt something last night. A connection. He longed for House's company so much. The older man had always made him feel so safe and happy. No matter what was changing in Chase's life, he would never panic as long as House was there.

Now he might have lost House completely. Sure, they'd still be working together, officially. Unless House decided to fire him in order to avoid the awkward moments. But things were no longer the same. Chase wouldn't be able to talk to House anymore, or laugh at his jokes. He would have to sit in the diagnostics room and keep his mouth shut, afraid to look anyone in the eyes. He had never felt lonelier in his entire life; even after the death of his mother there had been more people around to support him. Now there was literally no one.

As he was walking past the hospital reception, it got even worse. The nurses who would usually smile and wave him over just to say hi were now ignoring him. Everyone seemed to be staring down at their own feet just to avoid making eye-contact with him. Chase had never felt so confused. What the heck was going on? Was there something he didn't know?

He decided to walk over to the desk at the reception. Nurse Katie was sitting by the computer, apparently not busy doing anything. Usually, this woman would be all over Chase; she always used to giggle at everything he said, smile and bash her eyelashes at him. She'd even asked him out once, but that was when he'd started dating Cameron so he had had to decline her offer. She seemed nice, even if Chase would never be interested in her. He would like to consider her a friend at some level, though, and right now he could really use a friendly conversation.

"G'morning, Katie!" Chase greeted her, doing his best to smile even if this seemed physically impossible today. "I haven't seen you in a while. How are you?"

Katie was obviously surprised to see him; her mouth fell open and she stared at him with big, round eyes. For some reason, she seemed out of it. Like she didn't know what to say at all.

"Oh," she breathed and Chase thought that this was an odd way to greet a colleague, "hi there, I almost didn't see you. I'm good. How – how are you?"

Chase shrugged and turned to rest his elbows on the reception desk. "Well, to be honest I've had better days." He said.

Katie nodded and gave him a look to say that she figured as much. Then she began to act even weirder; she leaned in and whispered, afraid that anyone was listening: "I heard from nurse Brenda. I'm really sorry, Chase. I hope the recovering is going well, though!"

Chase frowned and thought for a moment. Then he figured that she was talking about his head injury and the bruising. "Oh don't worry, I got it under control now. It's not so bad!" He smiled.

Katie didn't look convinced at all. "Look, I hate to say it, but…" She hesitated, then she began to whisper again: "That's not exactly what I heard! Most people say that it should take you weeks before you are back to normal!"

"Weeks?" Chase didn't understand a word of this. "That's ridiculous! Who told you that?"

"Look, I'm really not supposed to say," Katie sounded nervous now, "just know that you can't fool anyone, Chase. All the nurses are aware of your… problem. Just back off for a while, okay? Take the time to recover fully before you make your next move with anyone."

Chase looked at her as though she had turned crazy. "Look, I'm sorry, but I don't understand," he said, "I'm really doing a lot better now!"

"Excuse me, but I have to… I have to make a call now. Sorry doctor Chase, I'll talk to you later, all right?"

As Chase walked away from the reception, he was more confused than he'd been last night when House had left his apartment. It was as though the entire world had decided to give him the cold shoulder all at once. He felt so rejected by everyone. As he kept on walking, more and more people started to look down in order to avoid him. He even thought that he heard some of the nurses whisper his name behind his back. What the hell were they whispering about him? Was it about the bet, perhaps? In that case, why were they trying to be so secretive about it?

Naturally, Chase never knew that this was all House's doing. Nurse Brenda had been telling everyone about Chase's "STD" and apparently, the rumors had it that it was as nasty as it was contagious. Some of the nurses who had recently been intimate with Chase were now worried that they had caught it. Some of them decided to get tested, already swearing to God that they would never have another one night stand in their life – despite how good it had been.

It was a shame, really. Most nurses were still keen to talk to Chase and they even wanted to come on to him, but they were afraid that this would create a bad reputation for them. They certainly didn't want their colleagues to think that they had caught the STD if they were seen talking too intimately with the handsome Australian. So they all decided to wait. Until they were certain that the blond doctor had recovered fully. Until then, Chase was more or less left to himself, it seemed.

He was all alone.

Meanwhile, House had showed up at work early in the morning. (For once in his life). He had been desperate to meet up with Wilson so that he could get his hands on the new prescription of Vicodin. He'd been awake for many hours that night. He had been in too much pain to sleep and every time he tried to shut his eyes closed, he could still see Chase on the couch, looking all hurt and abandoned. It was like watching a lamb going to the slaughterhouse. It had been so painful – so unpleasant. House felt awful for letting his employee down like that, even if he didn't have a choice.

_Better him than me_, House reminded himself. _I just can't bear to get hurt again. I have to be sure before I do anything with the kid._

Wilson had noticed House's troubled expression right away. He knew his friend a little too well. He'd asked House what had happened, and even though House tried to avoid the subject by being sarcastic and making jokes, he actually ended up telling Wilson the full story.

"What? Are you kidding me?" Wilson exclaimed as House finished with what had happened last night. The oncologist couldn't believe it! "He kissed you and you just walked away from him? House, are you out of your mind? I thought you wanted this! I thought you were in love with him!"

"Whoa, hold on!" House got up from the chair and started wandering around in the office. "I never used the word love!"

"But you might as well have!" Wilson argued. "I can see it in your eyes! You feel guilty as hell. You wouldn't care this much if you didn't have those feelings for Chase. You really care about him, don't you?"

House didn't want to answer this question. "I don't trust him!" He muttered. He knew that he sounded childish as always, but he had to tell Wilson the truth. "How _could_ I trust him? Think about all the people he's been kissing in the past three days! Why should he care more about me than all the pretty nurses?"

"You said he was beginning to relax when you kissed him," Wilson reminded him, "and he even kissed you back! He initiated it himself! Why would he do that if he didn't like you?"

"I don't know, maybe he's just really scared to lose the bet!"

"House, don't be ridiculous! Why is it so hard for you to believe that another human being could fall in love with you?"

"Because…" House paused as he didn't know what to say. "Because why the hell should anybody fall in love with me? Chase in particular! I mean, look at him! He looks like a Greek god or something! And look at me! I'm rude and I'm old and grumpy! And I'm also a crippled man! Why should a young, healthy man like Chase be with someone like me? I would only make him miserable and drive him crazy with my stubbornness!"

Wilson sighed. "You're being too hard on yourself. Yes, you are stubborn and grumpy sometimes. You even act like a baby when people disagree with you! But you could always make an extra effort. Just think about it, House. Chase knows you perfectly well. He's stood by you for so many years now. You can trust him! If you lose your temper at some point and act like a baby, well, he wouldn't be surprised by that! My point is, I don't think you will scare him away that easily."

House thought for a moment, but then he shook his head. "But how will I know for sure that he feels the same way about me?" He asked. "Wilson, look at all the people I'm up against! He could do so much better than me! How can I know that he won't leave me for the next person to hit on him?"

"House, you need to have faith in him," Wilson said, "trust is very important in a relationship."

"You don't understand!" House shouted out. "I can't let anyone hurt me again! I just can't! If Chase left me for someone else, I don't think I would survive it!"

Wilson was speechless for a moment. He had never heard House be so honest about his inner insecurities and secret emotions. He knew that this was something to take seriously.

"All right," he said, "if you are not ready for a relationship with him, just tell him the truth about how you feel. Don't push him away, House!"

"But I _am_ ready for a relationship. I do want to be with him. If only I could be certain that he wants to be with me, too." House considered his options for a moment. Then he turned to face Wilson again. "I have an idea." He breathed nervously. "If you are willing to help me, I know how to find out if Chase really wants me."

"Sure," Wilson smiled as he was happy to see House hopeful again, "anything! You name it!"

But only a few minutes later – as House had revealed his new plan to his friend – Wilson exclaimed: "No! No way! I'm not doing that! I can't, House. Please, take a moment to think about what you're asking of me! It isn't fair!"

"Oh would you quit being so dramatic?" House rolled his eyes. "It's not like I'm asking you to go all the way with him!"

Wilson snorted and it sounded like he was deeply insulted. "House, this is just too stupid! Why can't you just tell him the truth instead? This is just too risky!"

House just shook his head. "I need to know how he would react to another man's interest in him! Wilson please, you're the only one who can help me with this! All you have to do is ask him out – it's very innocent! If he says yes, I'll know that he feels nothing for me and is ready to see other people. But if he says no, then maybe I really do have a chance with him!"

Wilson sighed. Sometimes being friends with House could be so demanding. "Okay." He agreed. "If you really think you'll get an answer from him this way, I will do it. But if he really does say yes, I'm not going on an actual date with him!"

House offered him a wry smile. "Oh, you can't fool me, Jimmy! I know you'd just die to get a date with the pretty Australian!"

Wilson couldn't hold back a grin. "Trust me, House, he's all yours! I do hope he will decline my offer!"

"Yeah," House nodded and leaned on to his cane, "I hope so too!"

House decided to work in the clinic that day – as Cuddy had ordered him to. But he didn't do it because she had told him to. He did it because he knew that he wouldn't have to face Chase this way. He didn't want to play games with his employee, but he was just too nervous to see him now. Instead, he waited for Wilson to have a talk with him. As soon as he knew what the Australian had answered his friend, he could finally decide what to do with him.

Just around noon, Wilson entered the diagnostics room. He found Foreman and Taub sitting at the table, discussing their latest patient. The one with the weird rash, he remembered. Both looked up from their papers as Wilson appeared.

"Oh, sorry! I hope I'm not interrupting anything!" Wilson said, sounding all apologetic. "Have you guys seen Chase? I really need to see him in my office!"

"He and Masters are running a few tests in the lab," Taub answered him, "I think they'll be back soon. Should we tell him to go find you then?"

"Yes. Thank you, that'd be great!"

Wilson returned to his office to do some paperwork, but he was having a hard time concentrating. He had to admit that he was quite nervous about the conversation he was soon to have with the young Robert Chase. _Damn you, House, why did you make me do this? _Wilson regretted his decision already. But then again, he'd been there when Stacy broke House's heart. He'd witnessed House throughout all the bad times and he knew that his friend desperately needed to be happy again. He needed to find love. _This better be worth it, _Wilson thought.

Only thirty minutes later, there was a knocking on his door. Wilson held his breath and tried to swallow the lump in his throat.

"Come in!" He said, trying to sound as calm as possible.

And then Chase appeared. Oh god, just looking at him made Wilson sweat like a pig! He could barely control himself.

"You wanted to see me?" Chase smiled at him. Oh dear god, it was the smile that had all the nurses drooling all over him! And the accent… Wilson had always admired the Australian accent. He sounded so charming, even a straight man like Wilson had to admit that. No wonder House had fallen for him.

"Uh, yes. Thanks for coming." Wilson stood up to show the young man in. "I appreciate you taking the time. Please take a seat if you want!"

"Sure!" Chase sat down in the chair facing the desk, but Wilson continued to stand. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

Wilson could feel his own heart pounding, but then he noticed something. Chase seemed just as nervous as him! Sure, the kid had smiled at him, but he looked downright miserable now. He was probably scared that the oncologist wanted to talk to him about House. Wilson could sense that the younger man still seemed wounded, even if no one was supposed to know about him and House. No wonder House had looked so plagued by his own conscience this morning! Chase's eyes were the saddest that Wilson had seen in a very long time… He looked like he had lost all hope in this world.

"Well, I…" Wilson paused. How on earth was he supposed to say what House wanted him to say? He couldn't just blurt it out like that, could he? It didn't feel right. "Sorry, it's just… I don't know if I can find the right words. This is not easy for me, Chase, but there is something I have to ask you!"

Chase hadn't seen this coming. Wilson didn't even look himself. This was probably a bad sign. "Look, if this is about House," he started, "I can't talk about it at all. I'm sorry!"

"No – no, it's not about House!" Wilson exclaimed, suddenly afraid that Chase would try to flee the room if he brought up House's name again. "Look, this is not about him at all. It's about you and me."

Chase raised an eyebrow as if he wasn't sure he had heard Wilson right. "About you and me?" He repeated. "Well, what about us?"

"The thing is," Wilson began, "I've been thinking about us a lot. Chase… you are s-such a w-wonderful person, and I have to admit that… I am very interested in seeing you if you know what I mean!"

Wilson had to suppress a sigh. He couldn't believe what he had just said! He felt like such an idiot! Oh, House had to pay for this some day! He prayed to God that Chase wouldn't think ill of him now… He didn't want to make a complete fool of himself.

Chase couldn't utter a single word for several moments, but finally, he seemed to recollect himself. "No, I'm afraid I don't know what you mean." He said simply. (It sounded like he was slightly in denial. Of course he knew where Wilson was going with this). "Look, could you be more specific, Wilson?"

"Sure." Wilson hesitated, but then he placed both palms on the surface of his desk as he leaned in to look the blond doctor in the eyes. "Let me be perfectly clear; I can't stop thinking about you, Chase. So this is what I wanted to ask you: Would you like to go out on a date with me some time?"

Chase froze and his mind went blank. Oh bloody hell, what had he gotten himself into? This couldn't end well…


	12. Chapter 12

Chase was utterly speechless. Surely Wilson had to be kidding! Suddenly, it felt like he'd been nailed to the ground – he couldn't move a single muscle even when he was desperate to get out of the chair and away from the oncologist. Wilson was still staring at him without even blinking. It felt oddly intense.

"W-what did you just ask me?" Chase finally stuttered. That was all he could manage for now.

"You heard me," Wilson said, "I would like to take you out on a date some time. Just the two of us. Wouldn't that be nice?"

"Doctor Wilson, I'm sorry but you must be joking! And to tell you the truth, it isn't funny! I'm not in the mood for it right now!"

Chase didn't want to sound miffed, but this was more than he could handle right now. Just when he thought that his day couldn't get any worse… He was sick and tired of people messing around with him. It seemed that no one cared one bit about hurting his feelings. Even House had made a fool of him.

"I'm not kidding!" Wilson moved away from the desk in order to approach him slowly. "I have been thinking about this a lot. I know that this is what I want now!"

"This?" Chase repeated, revealing the confusion in his voice. "What do you mean when you say _this_?"

"I literally mean _this. _Us. I want you, Chase. So what do you say? Will you go out with me?"

Wilson had managed to surprise himself after all. He had no idea that he was such a convincing actor. He hadn't even had time to rehearse his own lines. Feeling increasingly confident, Wilson positioned himself in front of the younger doctor. He made sure that they didn't break the eye-contact for even a second.

"Blimey Wilson, I still don't believe you're serious…" Chase began, but was soon interrupted.

"Did you know that you're always sounding British when you're nervous?" Wilson took a step closer to the chair and looked down on his Australian colleague. "I know, I know – you're not British, but you did spend some time in London, didn't you?"

Chase couldn't help but to raise his eyebrows and study Wilson critically. "How on earth did you know that?" He demanded.

"I know you better than you think," Wilson smiled, "I've studied you, Chase. I've spent so much time admiring you from afar. That's how I noticed your British expressions."

Truth be told, Wilson had this piece of information from House. He had spent hours listening to House talking about Chase's special qualities, his background, and, of course, everything which made the Australian so charming. Wilson felt like he was speaking on behalf of his friend now. House really did know everything about the young employee…

"Wait, you haven't been stalking me, have you?" Suddenly, Chase felt very uncomfortable. It reminded him of the stalker that doctor Cuddy had had to put up with for so long. Even if he trusted and knew Wilson very well, (and liked him for being House's best friend) he still felt terrified at the idea that he'd been "admiring him from afar" without confessing it until now. It didn't seem natural at all! Wilson had never before acted like this… There had been no indications that Wilson was into Chase at all. It all seemed so hard to believe.

"Oh, stalking is such a harsh word…" Wilson shrugged.

Finally, Chase jumped out of the chair. Wilson was just too close to him now. He started to move towards to window instead. He was desperately in need of personal space…

"Look, Wilson, you're smarter than this. I know it!" Chase paused to consider his words. "You're not the kind of person who would creep anyone out like this. Whenever you like someone, you're usually honest about it. And when you're interested in someone's past, you ask them about it rather than reading through their personal files. That just sounds like something House would do, but he's the only one who can get away with these things. My point is, I don't believe that you have been spying on me! Not like this!"

Wilson couldn't help but to stop and think. Damn, this kid was smarter than he'd given him credit for. And more significantly, he knew House well enough to get suspicious. Chase could tell that Wilson wasn't acting himself. That he, in fact, was acting like House instead. Wilson had to come up with something – quick!

"If I'm acting strange, it's only because I'm crazy about you! Now, you never gave me an answer. I am perfectly aware of the fact that you've made a bet with Foreman that forbids you to turn anyone down. So what's it gonna be, Chase? Will you go out with me or are you willing to lose the 100 dollars?"

"I… I…" Chase realized that Wilson had caught him in a dilemma. How the hell could all this be happening? What had he done to deserve this? It had been awkward enough when both Cuddy and Taub had used the bet against him so that they could kiss him. But now it seemed that Wilson was asking for so much more than just that. If he had developed a crush on him or something similar to that, it was most likely that he would demand more than just a kiss. And Chase could never give him that. Since yesterday, it would simply break his heart to be with anyone else than House. Even if House didn't want him after all…

"If you don't know what to say," Wilson pressured him, "you should at least allow me to try and convince you!"

Wilson knew that this was something which House hadn't asked him to do. But he felt like it had to be done in order to get an answer out of Chase. He had to know if Chase's feelings for House were genuine! He just hoped that House wouldn't hate him for doing this…

He was now approaching Chase rapidly. Chase didn't even have time to blink; he couldn't do anything but trying to back away. But really, he was only making it easier for Wilson to trap him against the windowsill.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Chase asked, his eyes round with fear.

"I'm just trying to get an answer out of you!" Wilson said before placing both hands on Chase's shoulders, pushing him back against the window glass. "I'm going to ask you one last time – will you go out with me or will you lose the bet?"

When Chase still didn't know what to say, Wilson lost his patience and decided to do something that he hadn't even realized that he wanted to do before now. He pressed his own slightly bigger body against the Australian's, and then he kissed him.

And oh, it was awkward! He felt Chase struggling to close his mouth shut, but Wilson had already started using his tongue. Wilson couldn't help but to feel that the kiss was actually quite enjoyable – Chase's lips were soft and sweet and he felt guilty for liking it so much. Chase, however, seemed to be panicking. It was like he was trying to push Wilson away and then trying not to object at the same time. The kid had no clue what to do! Wilson tried to make the kiss gentle instead of forceful so that the younger man wouldn't feel overwhelmed, but it was too late. Chase began to tremble in his arms. As soon as Wilson noticed the shivering, he decided to break the kiss and pull back completely. He let go of the blond doctor, only feeling slightly disappointed that he would never be able to taste these sweet lips again.

"Oh my God – Chase, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to… to… Are you okay?"

Wilson was shocked to see his colleague's face as he took a step back. It wasn't just that Chase had turned pale and looked absolutely uncomfortable… There were tears in his eyes. The kid had been so shocked by the kiss that he was on the verge of crying! It was only the tears that gave him away, though, because he remained deadly silent.

"Oh crap, I feel like such a jerk!" Wilson knew that it was his turn to panic now. "Look, I can't do this anymore! Chase, there is something I have to tell you! I wasn't actually honest before… Come, sit down on the couch if you want. I promise I will leave you alone from now on!"

Chase's expression changed and he moved his hand to wipe away the tears discretely. He couldn't believe himself! How on earth had he become so emotional? He hadn't even cried when his wife left him! He agreed to sit down on the couch next to Wilson, but he was still scared that the oncologist would try to approach him again.

"I screwed up immensely by kissing you," Wilson sighed, "it's okay, you can get angry with me if you want! But please, let me explain everything to you anyway."

"Explain what?" Chase said and sniffled a couple of times. Luckily, he was starting to calm down as Wilson's irrational behaviour had ended.

"Look, I lied to you before. I'm so sorry, but I never meant to ask you out or anything of the sort. And when I kissed you, I just crossed the line! I don't know what came over me. This isn't something I would normally do, you know that."

"Wilson, calm down." Now it was Chase who was looking at the other man worriedly. He seemed frightened – Chase had a feeling that something wasn't right at all. "Look, don't worry. I'm sorry, I'm not usually one for tears. I was just a bit shocked is all. I didn't mean to scare you!"

"No, no, I can't blame you!" Wilson breathed heavily and buried his face in his hands. "I never should have done that! Please don't hate me, but the truth is that this is something House put me up to. Well, not the kiss but me asking you out! I don't know why I kissed you, but believe me, that was all me!"

Chase was stunned. Bloody hell, what was House thinking? Had he lost his mind?

"Why did House want you to ask me out?" Chase said, already going through all the possible reasons in his head. Could it be that House felt bad about rejecting him and tried to make it up by pairing him with Wilson instead? No, that was crazy! Even for House!

"He likes you." Wilson offered him a wry smile, but his facial expression was still revealing his remorse. "He likes you so much that it scares him, Chase. He fears that he's not good enough for you. When he left your apartment last night, it was because he was afraid to get hurt again if you were only playing him. He thinks that he might lose you to someone younger and prettier. So he asked me to test you. He just wanted to know if your feelings for him were real or not, I guess. But you just proved how much you care about him by rejecting me! I'm so happy for both of you…"

"Whoa, hold on for a minute!" Chase objected. "Don't be happy for us, Wilson, because House has only proved that he doesn't trust me at all! He should have known that I would never play with his emotions like that, and yet, he completely played with mine just now. And yours, too! He should never have made you ask me out! He's such a manipulator!"

"Chase, please," Wilson begged, "don't be so hard on him! You know what he's been through and how scarred he is - both on the inside and outside. He was just trying to protect himself from getting hurt again, but the truth is that he has already lost his heart to you. I can see how much he cares about you. And believe me, he wanted to tell you the truth. But opening up has never been that easy for him."

"But he had the chance to tell me the truth last night," Chase argued, "and he blew it! Do you have any idea how hurt I was when he left me hanging like that? I'm starting to think that he only cares about his own feelings and not mine. I'm just tired of playing games with him."

"No, please don't say that!" Wilson jumped up from the couch just to make a dramatic gesture. "He really wants to be with you. He is all yours. You just have to forgive him for being an insecure fool sometimes. He thinks that he doesn't deserve someone like you! He feels worthless sometimes and that is why he keeps convincing himself that he doesn't deserve anyone's love."

Chase couldn't help but to feel bad. After all, he did know how reserved House could be. Avoiding other people was just his way of protecting himself. Because in the end, no one else had ever done that for him.

"That's not right," Chase muttered, "he shouldn't feel worthless! He's a brilliant man, you know – any person should feel lucky to be with him!" When he realized what he had just said, his face turned all red, but Wilson only found this amusing.

"I can see how deeply you care for him." Wilson grinned. "Chase, can't you see that the two of you belong together? I think that you could really make each other happy!"

Chase shrugged, but he couldn't hold back a smile. "I know. I thought so too, but it will never work if he doesn't trust me. Or if he keeps manipulating with my head like this."

"Look, all you have to do is tell him how you feel! I promise you, hearing that you like him back will make him open up to you completely!" Wilson laid a hand on Chase's shoulder. It felt right this time. "Please, just forget about everything that happened in this office! I swear, I will never take part in House's evil plans again. Go get him – I know you want to!"

Chase laughed at Wilson's eagerness. "All right, all right. You convinced me. And I promise that I won't tell anyone what happened in here. Thanks, Wilson!"

But before any of them could make further plans to go talk to House, there was a fierce knocking on the door. Wilson didn't even have time to ask who it was before the door was pulled open. Masters entered the room immediately, looking all anxious and out of breath like she had been running all the way to the office.

"Masters?" Chase said with a frown. "Are you okay? Is everything all right?"

"No, I…" She exhaled heavily and tried to swallow the lump in her throat. "I think you better come with me right away. It's House. He's furious! I've never seen him like this before!"

"What?" Wilson exclaimed. "What happened? What made him so upset?"

"Well…" Masters couldn't find the words. She was afraid to get in the middle of her colleagues' business, but they had to know the truth. "What do you think made him so angry?" She sighed. "He saw you guys from the window in his office. We all did. You weren't exactly being discrete!"

Chase felt his heart skip a beat. Oh no, this couldn't be happening! If House had witnessed his kiss with Wilson, he would never forgive any of them! Well, maybe he would forgive Wilson eventually, but Chase would never be given a second chance. That was for sure!

"Crap!" Wilson smacked his own forehead with his palm. "Damn it, I thought he would be in the clinic all day!"

"Well, he was to begin with," Masters tried to clear her throat, "but you know him – he got bored and thought he would return to his office before Cuddy noticed that he was gone. Look, doctor Chase and doctor Wilson, I am not one to judge, but you really ought to do something about this. He's refusing to talk to any of us and he has already threatened to beat the next person who annoys him with his cane! He's out of it!"

Chase nodded. "You're right, we should both go talk to him. But Masters, you should know that this was all a big misunderstanding! There's nothing between Wilson and me! Right, Wilson?"

"Right!" Wilson agreed. "I'll give you my word."

"Look, Chase, you don't have to explain yourself to me, but come on. You told me the exact same thing when I caught you with Taub." Masters looked down at her own feet. "Anyway, I told you not to worry about my opinions. Worry about House instead, both of you!"

The next thing, Chase was running towards the diagnostics room and House's office, and Wilson was right behind him. As they both entered, Chase noticed that both Foreman and Taub were looking at him like they wanted to say something, but he couldn't care less about their judgmental comments. All he cared about was telling House the truth. He opened the door to House's office. He could see his boss sitting in his chair, having turned his back on his desk so that he was facing the window instead.

"House…" Chase said in a hoarse voice. "House, please look at me! I need to talk to you!"

"Go away!" House replied instantly. "Both of you!"

"No! House, you have to listen to me!" Chase moved towards the desk, but Wilson was still standing in the doorway. "I know what you saw, but you got it all wrong! Please let me explain…"

House snorted mockingly. "Yeah, right! I'm sorry, but I know better than to listen to a whore! Get out of my sight, will you?"

Chase froze. Just like that, he lost his ability to speak and stand up for himself. House had called him a whore!

"House, please don't talk like that…" Wilson thought he would try to talk some sense into his best friend, but nothing was working. House was ignoring them both.

"All right that's enough. You, come with me!" Suddenly, Foreman had joined them and he grabbed Chase's arm to drag him out of the office with him. "You and I got a job to do. I don't know if you remember, but we've still got a patient to take care of! Whatever's going on with the three of you, you need to take care of it when you're off duty! You're just wasting everyone's precious time!"

Foreman dragged Chase all the way down the hall and into one of the elevators.

"Wait, where're we going?" Chase asked him. It felt as though he'd just been turned into stone in House's office, and now Foreman had pulled him out of his trance too abruptly.

"We're going to visit the patient's home. I found out where he's keeping the spare key. And before you tell me to bring someone else instead because you can't be bothered, let me remind you that you haven't contributed to solving this case yet! It's about time you do something efficient if you ask me!"

Chase couldn't even be bothered to defend himself. He knew that Foreman could be harsh, and as always it was so tempting to tell him to back the hell off. But this time, nothing seemed to matter. He had just lost House… He had been called a whore by the man he was in love with. Chase wondered how anything could ever matter to him again.

They drove off in Foreman's car. The patient's home was about twenty minutes from the hospital. Unfortunately, that left the two of them with plenty of time to either sit there in awkward silence or, probably, leading an even more awkward conversation.

After a minute or two, Foreman decided that he preferred having an awkward conversation.

"Look man," he said, "I'm just gonna ask you straight about this: What the hell is going on with you? Why did you make out with Wilson and why the hell does it bother House so much? Is he jealous or something?"

Chase sighed. "It's a long story. I don't want to bore you with the details. Besides, you wanted me to focus on the patient, right? So let's talk about him instead."

"Oh please, you're only acting professional all of a sudden because you don't wanna tell me what's going on!" Foreman shook his head lightly. "Just give it up, Chase! What's the story? Is it so embarrassing that you can't even tell me?"

Chase regretted that he and Foreman had never really been able to talk to each other. One was always trying to annoy the other, and right now he desperately needed someone who wouldn't make fun of him.

"Just know that your bet has made my life really miserable," Chase muttered, "that should be enough to satisfy you. It was what you always wanted, right?"

"What was?"

"To see me miserable."

Foreman couldn't stop himself from snickering. "Look man, you can't blame this on me! You got yourself into this mess. But I have to admit that it's been very entertaining so far. Whatever happened with you, it has surely wiped that stupid smile off your face!"

"My smile is not stupid!" Chase said. Foreman was already starting to get on his nerves. "You should try it yourself some time. You never smile!"

"Oh, I do smile," Foreman began, "when I see how you keep making a fool of yourself! I've had a very enjoyable week, you know."

Chase snorted. "You know what, Foreman, I've always wondered why you hate me so much! What did I ever do to offend you?"

Suddenly, Foreman's face stiffened and he didn't know how to respond to the question. "You know what," he muttered and sounded slightly bitter, "let's not talk for the rest of this ride. You were right before, we should be professionals and focus on the patient!"

"Oh." Chase said. "Fine, that works for me."

Foreman turned on the radio. Now they were both concentrating on ignoring each other. Chase thought to himself that this was getting too much. How could so many bad things have happened to him in only a few days? It bothered him to know that Foreman only found it funny.

Chase thought for a moment that he should have refused to go with Foreman and stayed at the hospital instead. He should have kept trying to persuade House so that they could talk. Then he thought that perhaps it _was_ better this way. After all, House didn't even want to look at him right now, so he might as well try to keep a low profile for the rest of the day. Hopefully, House would cool off after a short while and come to his senses. Tomorrow, Chase would talk to him again. He would tell him everything. He would admit his love for him…

Because _that_ was what it was. Love. He thought about House all the time, and he longed for him like he had never longed for anyone else before. He knew that he was head-over-heels in love.

He convinced himself that everything would be better tomorrow.

But really, Chase had no idea that things were only about to get so much worse. As soon as he got out of the car with Foreman, his fate was sealed. Nothing could save him from having made this terrible mistake. He was soon to regret being away from House and alone with Foreman. He would regret it for the rest of his life…


	13. Chapter 13

Back at the hospital, Masters and Taub had been sent out of the diagnostics room so that Wilson and House could talk privately. However, House was still making it almost impossible for Wilson to even get a word in edgeways.

"You're wasting your time – I told you to leave me alone!" House said. His back was still turned on Wilson. He was acting more stubborn than ever.

"You know I can't do that," Wilson sighed, "because if I leave you now, you're just going to be alone with your thoughts and I know that you are already assuming the worst. But guess what, House, there is more to the story!"

"Oh please! Don't give me that!" House shouted out. "I'm not an idiot! You were kissing each other behind my back. I know what I saw!"

"No you don't!" Wilson struggled to make his friend listen. "You have no idea what actually happened in my office so please let me explain!"

"No thanks – I'm not interested!" Finally, House got up from his chair and he hobbled towards the window. "Please leave my office. Now!"

"I can't," Wilson took a few steps forward, "not until you know what really happened!"

"Stop right there!" House exclaimed when he noticed that the oncologist was approaching him. "Don't get any closer! I can't even look at you right now!"

"House, please…"

"No! You know what the worst part is? I thought I could trust you! I thought you were really willing to help me when I asked you that favour! Instead you took advantage of the situation. You knew how much he meant to me, Wilson! How could you take him away from me?"

"I swear that I didn't take him away from you! He's in love with you, House, and only you!"

House snorted. "If that's what he told you, I guess that you're both liars!"

Wilson couldn't take it anymore. He wouldn't let House ruin this for himself just because he was too stubborn to listen. He shouted: "Chase never lied to you, you daft fool! And neither did I! I am getting sick and tired of you assuming the worst about other people just because you're feeling insecure about yourself! House, if you don't let me tell you what happened, I swear to God that I will… I will…"

Wilson was so hot-headed now that he had started to sweat and he had to support himself against the desk. Trying to talk some sense into his friend was so god damn tiring!

House was slightly surprised by Wilson's yelling and he couldn't help but to look over his shoulder. When he saw how worked up his friend was and how he had to lean against the desk, a part of him felt like he really ought to hear him out. After all, they had been friends for so long now. It couldn't all end this way, it just couldn't!

"Did you just call me a daft fool?" House muttered. "It's kind of pathetic that you can't think of a better insult than that!"

Wilson exhaled heavily. "Well, when you're behaving like this, it's very hard to think straight! House, please just hear me out…"

"All right."

"Wait, what?" Wilson had not seen this coming. "Really, you will let me talk now?"

"All right." House repeated. "But I warn you. You have one chance only. And if you start lying to me again, I will know instantly. You've always been a bad liar."

_Good thing I don't have to lie my way out of this one_, Wilson thought to himself. But he chose his words carefully as he said: "Fair enough. But I can guarantee you that I only want to tell you the truth. Trust me, House, when you hear the full story you will kick yourself for having thrown such an unnecessary tantrum!"

"Oh, we'll see about that!" House huffed. "You know, it's not that easy to kick yourself when you're crippled."

Wilson smiled involuntarily. "I guess you have a point. Anyway, just let me talk for a moment, okay? No interrupting!"

"Fine." House sighed. "But your story better be worth it!"

House tried to hide how nervous he really was at that moment. What if Wilson's story couldn't explain the kiss properly? What if Wilson had really taken advantage of Chase's situation? Or what if Chase had even wanted him to? What if he had been fooling around with Wilson just like he had been with House the night before?

House couldn't lose both Chase and his best friend. He just wouldn't survive that kind of betrayal. So when Wilson started telling him everything that had happened in the office, he secretly held his breath and blocked out everything else. He concentrated on listening only. And what a great thing that he did! Because when Wilson told him that the unwanted kiss had made Chase break into tears, House could feel the ice around his own heart starting to melt away…

And just like that, his life had been filled with love once again. It was a miracle.

In the meantime, Foreman and Chase had been busy taking samples from the different rooms in the patient's apartment. They were still not talking, at least not about anything else than the samples. Foreman was searching through the kitchen and the fridge when Chase returned from the patient's bedroom.

"I sure hope there are other rooms to go through," Chase declared in a neutral voice, "because there was nothing remotely unusual to find in the bedroom! How about you?"

"Huh?" Foreman muttered without even looking at his team mate.

"Did you find anything?"

"Nope. Looks like we'll have to do with the samples we took from the living room. There's nothing here!"

"How about the basement?" Chase asked.

"Huh?"

Once again, Foreman was acting as though he wasn't even paying attention. And this was particularly weird since he had been the one that so eagerly insisted on getting efficient. Chase just glared at him.

"The basement," he repeated patiently, "the building comes with a basement of some sort, don't you reckon?"

To Chase's surprise, Foreman groaned at these words and he turned to give the Australian an angry, accusing look. "Don't talk down to me like that! I'm not an idiot – I knew there was a basement!"

Chase frowned at Foreman's reaction. How could he be so upset all of a sudden? "I wasn't talking down to you." He said as gingerly as possible. It was difficult not to reveal how frustrated he felt. "Look, Foreman, I-"

"Would you stop pronouncing my name that way?" Foreman snapped, cutting him off.

"What way?"

"You always call me _Foah-min! _I'm sick and tired of it!"

"Excuse me, I thought it was your name! Should I rather call you Eric then?"

"Oh, you know what I mean! It's the pronunciation – it annoys the crap out of me! Why can't you just call me _Foreman _like everyone else?"

Chase was completely shocked. What did it matter to him if his pronunciation was slightly different from everyone else's? "You know perfectly well that I'm not from here," Chase defended himself, "I can't help it if my accent is a little thick! You know, in Australia everyone would…"

"Yeah, yeah – Australia this, Australia that!" Foreman exclaimed and rolled his eyes. "I can't stand listening to it anymore! You're always bringing up your nationality – and your rich family! I get it, Chase, you don't have to remind me of your own supremacy! I _already_ know that you were born better than me!"

"What? Are you out of your bloody mind?" Chase cried out. "What's gotten into you? I never claimed to be better than any of you just because I'm Australian! And you know that my parents are dead, so you can't use the rich family against me anymore! I inherited nothing from them!"

"Right – boohoo! How tragic it must be for you having to live off the same salary as the rest of us!" Foreman moved to gather the samples taken from the living room. He didn't even want to look at his blond colleague right now. "Just don't bring it up again, because I've had enough!"

He had made it sound like a warning. Chase was once again totally gobsmacked.

"Foreman, are you mad at me or something?" He blurted the question out. It was simply impossible for him to ignore Foreman's bitter comments made towards him. "Did I do something to offend you? I really have to know!"

This, however, was only met with derisive laughter from Foreman. "Oh no, Chase," he said and sounded sarcastic, "you're just as innocent as always! Don't you worry your pretty, little head with any of it!"

"Look, there's no reason for you to be so condescending…" Chase muttered, but he paused when Foreman raised his hand as if to ask him to stop.

"Let's not talk about this anymore!" He said irritably. "Let's just check the basement out next, okay?"

It took Chase an awful lot of self control to just nod and add the words: "Sure. I can't wait to get out of here anyway."

They both went downstairs together, silently as ever. It was as though they had the entire building to themselves; there had to be at least six large apartments within the three stories but it was quite possible that all residents were out or at work. There was not a sound to be heard and for this reason, Chase felt even more tensed being around Foreman. He still couldn't believe the way his colleague had been acting upstairs.

As they reached the basement, they discovered that there were several rooms. The largest room seemed to be used as some kind of storage whereas the smaller one was used as a laundry room.

"I'll check in here." Foreman mumbled and went into the largest room. He still seemed kind of hostile.

Chase didn't even bother to answer him. He went into the laundry room without a word. He didn't want to worry about Foreman's behaviour anymore; too many things had happened all in one day and if he was going to worry about something, it should be getting House back. But of course, he was still on duty and he had to make the patient his top priority.

He noticed a pile of clothes on the floor that had already been washed, it seemed. It was mainly white shirts and t-shirts, probably parts of different suits and outfits used for work. The room itself wasn't too big and there were no windows, but there was a bench to the left of the washing machine. Chase automatically imagined the residents sitting there, waiting for their clothes to dry. There didn't seem to be any toxic liquids or smells down here; everything smelled nice and soapy. Clean.

He bent over to take a look at the different washing powders that were lined on the floor next to the washing machine. It all looked pretty standard, but he still decided to take a sample from each one of them. They might as well be extra thorough now that they were here…

Foreman entered the small room without Chase noticing it. He was standing there behind him for a while before he spoke. "Nothing in the storage room." His voice sounded dull and his face revealed no expression whatsoever.

Chase nearly jumped when Foreman had opened his mouth, but he tried to hide how spooked he felt. Had he snuck up on him on purpose?

"Oh," he said and he could sense the weakness in his own voice, "well, I don't think there's anything in here either. But I took a few samples from the washing powder just in case."

"Right." Was all Foreman had to say to that.

Chase straightened his back and turned to look at his colleague. "So that was it, right? Let's get back to the hospital with these, shall we?" He couldn't stand to look at Foreman frowning anymore – he just wanted to leave as quickly as possible. The uncomfortable silence was getting on his nerves, too.

Foreman just crossed his arms over his chest. "Not just yet." He said and turned to the door. Chase hadn't noticed it before, but there was a lock. "I'm not ready to go back. We still have business to take care of."

Chase didn't understand a word of this. "We're the only ones here. Why did you just lock the door?" He asked, but Foreman wasn't in the mood to answer this, it appeared. "And what kind of business do you mean? I told you, I already took some samples. There's nothing else to look at in here!"

Foreman made sure that the door was still properly locked as he took a step forward. "It's not that kind of business that we need to take care of," he said, "let's say it's more personal this time. There is something I must ask you, you see."

For some reason, the tone in Foreman's voice made Chase really uneasy. He sounded so grave and serious. Was he still angry with him?

"What do you need to know?" Chase swallowed a couple of times. He didn't like the way Foreman was looking at him now.

"What do you think I wanna know?" Foreman snorted and his behaviour was beginning to feel unpleasant again.

"I am honestly clueless," Chase said with slight annoyance in his voice, "look, just get to the point! I really want to get out of here…"

"Well, I don't want that! Not yet!" Foreman objected. "So here's the thing – I want to know what the hell you are up to! How did you pull everything off? It must be something you have been planning for a while at least!"

"What?" Chase sputtered. "Foreman, what on earth are talking about this time?"

"You don't fool me, Chase. You know what I'm talking about. I want to know how you managed to trick everyone. Yeah, that's right – I know exactly what you're little scheme is all about! I can see right through you!"

Chase thought that this was some kind of joke so he nearly burst out laughing. However, it was a good thing that he didn't because Foreman seemed genuinely angry this minute.

"I have no idea where you're going with this!" He said instead. This was getting too ridiculous!

"You've been flirting with everyone at the hospital," Foreman shouted out, "and I've seen how you managed to seduce not only Cuddy and Wilson, but I'm guessing House too! You've made them all go crazy for you, haven't you? So tell me, Chase, was the pay raise worth selling your soul for?"

Chase felt feverish all of a sudden. His cheeks were burning, probably with rage. Foreman had no right to make this kind of assumption! He admitted that he'd let himself get seduced by various nurses, but the thing with Cuddy, Taub and Wilson… It hadn't been his choice at all! He would never have gone after a colleague or a boss just to achieve a pay raise or a promotion! And the thing with House… that wasn't even about seduction as such! It was about having fallen in love with him. It was no joke.

"Look, I really don't have time for this!" Chase exclaimed. He decided that he was too upset, too hurt to even explain the truth to Foreman. It was none of his business anyway. "Just leave me the hell alone, all right? You have no right to accuse me of these things!"

He wanted to storm out of this tiny, narrow room. He needed to get some fresh air, and he needed to be around other people than Foreman. He was just desperate to get away. He tried to make it past his team mate, but Foreman moved to stand in his way. He made sure that the door was blocked.

"Move!" Chase heard himself yell out. "I'm leaving now!"

"No you're not!" Foreman pushed him backwards by the shoulders, and it was a violent, angry gesture that nearly made Chase stumble over the bench by the washing machine. "You are not leaving until I say so!" Foreman shouted.

"What the hell has gotten into you?" Chase blurted out in frustration. "You can't make me stay against my will!"

"Yes I can!" Foreman jumped forward and he got a hold of the Australian's wrists. "I'm not letting you go until you admit it! You seduced Cuddy and House because you still think that you deserve to get paid more than the rest of us! You are not even that hard-working, you selfish son of a bitch! I want you to admit it, Chase, because I know who you really are. You are still that spoiled brat who lives off your daddy's money! You wouldn't even have been hired if it weren't for him, because deep down we all know that you are useless!"

"Shut up, Foreman, you don't know anything about me!" Chase struggled to free himself, but it was no use. Foreman was a great deal bigger and stronger than he was. "Let me go!" He started pleading instead.

"No, because you are still not admitting it!" Foreman knew that he had the upper hand here and he was enjoying it a lot. "You really thought you would get away with it, didn't you? You thought you could fool everyone with your looks and your charms! I have to admit, I'm surprised that even House fell for it, but he will know the truth about you soon enough. Because the truth is, Chase, that you are nothing but a whore! You are willing to do everyone as long as they pay you, aren't you?"

"No!" Chase cried out. "You are wrong! I would never…"

"Just give up the act!" Foreman interrupted him. "You know I'm right, you just don't want to face the person you actually are! I know all about your kiss with Taub, too! I know you didn't initiate it yourself, and yet you let him kiss you just because you didn't want to lose the bet and the 100 dollars! How does that _not_ make you a whore?"

Suddenly, Chase could think of nothing to say. It was true that he had let the several unwanted kisses happen because he didn't want to lose the bet. But it was never about the money! He couldn't care less about the 100 dollars. It was rather that he didn't want to lose to Foreman… He knew how arrogant he would be and how much he would be teasing and taunting him if he had won. Chase hated himself for taking a bet so seriously, but he knew that Foreman had always been looking for a reason to mock him. And now that he hadn't even lost the bet yet, Foreman had still managed to find something to mock him about.

"See! You can't even deny it!" Foreman started laughing out loud. "I knew I was right! You're just a whore who's lucky enough to have your good looks! If it wasn't for your good looks, nobody in this world would give a crap about you…"

"Foreman, please," Chase started struggling again as he was desperate to free himself and escape this humiliating situation, "please, I'm begging you, just let me go!"

"Why would I do that? I'm enjoying this too much!" Foreman grinned. Suddenly, he removed one hand from the Australian's wrist just to grab a hold of his blond strands of hair instead. He started pulling, forcing Chase to come closer. "What does it take to get a kiss from you?" He asked teasingly. "How much do I have to pay you? How much did Cuddy and House have to pay you?"

"Foreman, let me go!" Chase tried to back away from him but without any luck.

"You know, this is exactly why I came up with the bet in the first place," Foreman said, "I knew that the bet would reveal how slutty you are! I think the entire hospital knows by now actually – or at least they're all gossiping about you! Did you know that? So how does it make you feel, Robert? Are you ready to admit that you're no better than the rest of us?"

"I never said that I was better than any of you!" Chase gasped and struggled to keep himself from screaming when Foreman started pulling his hair again. "Please, just hear me out – I'm not better than anyone, okay?"

"You'll have to do better than that! I want you to admit that you're a whore!"

"But I'm not…"

Foreman lost his patience and he decided to force the Australian down on his knees. He continued to pull the blond locks and finally, Chase broke.

"Okay! Fine, I admit it!" Chase winced in pain and gasped. "I'm a lousy whore and I'm not better than anyone! I never was! Are you happy now? Just let go already!"

Foreman was happy that Chase had admitted all this. But he still wasn't finished with him. He was still angry. "Not yet." He said.

"But I said what you wanted me to say!" Chase couldn't take this anymore. He couldn't even think clearly because of the pain he was in. "What else do you want from me?"

Foreman knew exactly what to answer to this. "I want you to kiss me." He said without even laughing. "Like you kissed House and all the others!"

Chase froze. No, he couldn't do that. It was just break House's heart all over again and he didn't want to lose him. He just couldn't risk it! When he didn't reply, Foreman bowed down to move his lips closer to Chase's, but it wasn't going to happen. This time, Chase objected and turned his head away.

"Chase, don't be difficult," Foreman sounded slightly irritated, "you already kissed everyone else, so you might as well include me!"

"No!" Chase exclaimed. "Look, I can't…"

"Why not?" Foreman yelled. "Are you saying that I'm the only one in the world who's not worthy of kissing you?"

"You called me a whore!" Chase objected. "Did you really think that I was going to find that flattering?"

Foreman didn't respond. Suddenly, he didn't just feel angry. He felt furious. Chase was so arrogant! How could he deny him a kiss when he was willing to kiss everyone else? Foreman thought that maybe Chase was still the same old rich kid who looked down on him and his "criminal" background. And this made him bellow furiously:

"Fine! Don't kiss me if I repel you so much! But I want you to answer me this: How come you've been ignoring me all these years when I have been looking at you from day one? The day we met, we talked and we laughed together in House's office and you really had me believing that I had a chance with you! But then you started flirting and sleeping with Cameron instead! Do you have any idea how rejected I felt? Do you have any idea how humiliating it is for me that not even a whore like you can be bothered to notice me?"

"Wait, are you serious?" Chase tried to look up at Foreman, but his head was only pushed down again. "Foreman, I'm sorry – I had no idea that you felt this way!"

Chase had only thought that Foreman had asked him for a kiss in order to humiliate him. How could it be that Foreman had had feelings for him and he never even noticed? Chase felt like an idiot. He had never imagined that Foreman could possibly _like_ him. In fact, he had always thought that Foreman had hated him, even before Cameron. But he was never given a chance to say all the things he wanted to come out with.

"You keep turning me down again and again. It's too late to apologize now," Foreman said, "I'm done longing for you, Chase! I think it's time to move on!"

Suddenly, Foreman let go of him but it was only in order to push him down on the stone hard floor, using all his strength.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Chase cried out as he tried to struggle against Foreman's strong hands, working to level him with the ground. "No, Foreman, don't-"

"This is what I need to do in order to forget about all the times you ignored me," Foreman muttered in a determined, cynical voice, "don't worry. I'm willing to pay you afterwards. That makes it okay for whores like you, doesn't it?"

Chase kept begging him to stop. He kept saying no, kept telling him that he didn't want this to happen. But that only made Foreman go brutal on him. He basically threw himself down on the Australian, made sure to grab a hold of his arms so that he couldn't escape. When Chase started squirming and wriggled to get away, Foreman kneed him in the stomach so he couldn't breathe.

"Please don't…" Chase gasped. These were the only two words he could even pronounce at this point. He felt overwhelmed with both panic and fear. "Please don't…"

Foreman flipped him over so that he was lying on his stomach. As he was lying on top of him, he pushed Chase's head down on the concrete floor. Foreman leaned forward to whisper in his ear:

"Don't worry, as soon as this is over, I won't ever lay a hand on you again. In fact, I won't ever care about you again! That's a promise!"

Chase was so horrified that he couldn't reply or even move a muscle. He struggled to swallow the lump in his throat and he closed his eyes shut. If only he could disappear inside himself so he wouldn't have to experience what was about to happen… If only he could cease to exist. If only – if only he was still with House. His love for House was the only thing that could even keep him sane at this point… Even when he knew that he would never feel clean again.

Foreman looked down on the tears starting to appear in Chase's eyes. A part of him felt extremely guilty for what he was about to do, especially because he remembered how much he had liked his Australian friend and colleague to begin with. But then he reminded himself how he'd been hurt by Chase when his feelings were never returned. This week Chase had been showing an interest in everybody at the hospital but Foreman. That wasn't fair. If Chase thought he could get away with kissing everyone and acting like a slut, he certainly deserved to be treated like one.

Foreman prayed to God that he could finally move on after this. He missed those good old days when he was new at the hospital and he was only getting to know Chase. Back then they had both been so innocent. So carefree. If only it had been possible for him to go back to that time – instead of taking revenge for the dream he had never seen come true.

But then again, this was his only chance to ever be with Chase. It was something which he needed to do. Foreman just prayed that he would be able to live with himself afterwards…

**C-H-C-H-C-H-C-H**

Later that day, House stopped by Wilson's office just to let him know that he was leaving early.

"If Cuddy asks for me, you come up with a valid excuse for me, all right?"

Wilson gave his friend a wry smile and nodded. "Sure. I guess I owe you that much!"

"That's right!" House said with a smirk. "And you're also buying me lunch for the rest of this month! That's the punishment you get for kissing my Wombat, even if you were just trying to prove a point!"

Wilson sighed, but he knew that House wasn't really upset about it now that he knew the true nature of the kiss. Now that he was convinced that Chase was all his, his world was bright and happy again.

"Fine," Wilson said, "I'm used to buying your every-day lunch anyway, so why not?"

House chuckled. He loved it when things were finally starting to go his way.

"Oh one more thing," House announced, waving his cane a little bit, "I'm going to Chase's place tonight. I just thought you would like to know that."

Wilson couldn't keep himself from smiling. "That's great, House. You're gonna kiss and make up, aren't you?"

"That was my plan, yes." House nodded. He wasn't afraid to admit it to anyone now; his greatest desire was to get back into Chase's apartment and never leave again. "Oh, and I suppose I should yell a little at the kid as well. He never returned to the hospital to finish his job," House added jokingly, "I bet he took the rest of the day off and let Foreman do all the work with the samples they took!"

"House please," Wilson knew that his friend wasn't serious, but he felt like he should object anyway, "you're not going to scold, even if you are his boss! In fact, I think you should apologize!"

"Yeah, yeah – thank you, Wilson, for not knowing when I'm being ironic!" House chuckled again and shook his head slowly. "Don't you worry, though; tonight I'm doing all I can to show the Wombat just how romantic I can be. He won't be able to resist my charms, I'm sure of that! I'm gonna rock his world!"

Wilson wanted to be happy for them, yet he couldn't help but to sigh and mutter: "Too much information, House. I don't need to know what you're going to do to each other…"

House was amused by Wilson's sudden embarrassment, so he winked at him and said: "I will give you all the dirty details tomorrow, don't worry!"


	14. Chapter 14

House was standing in front of the mirror in his own apartment. He had come home early in order to shower and change. He had convinced himself that he should be wearing his black shirt since it was fairly decent without making it seem like he was trying too hard. He couldn't help but to grin as he took a look at himself. Oh boy, he had really made an effort to look his best this time. It wasn't something he would usually care about, but then House thought that Chase deserved all the best after the way he had treated him earlier.

He remembered his own words and it made him feel shameful. He couldn't even begin to say how much he regretted his childish behaviour. But for some reason, House was convinced that Chase could find it in his heart to forgive him – at some point, at least. Because House was determined to bring his a-game tonight. He didn't only mean to charm Chase and make the kid fall even further in love with him, but he also meant to show him that he could be romantic and caring. And more importantly, tonight was the night when House was finally going to admit to his employee just how much he meant to him and for how long he had been hopelessly in love with him. There could never be anyone else in House's life.

House wanted Chase to know that the lonely days were over. He wasn't going to leave him ever again. Not voluntarily, anyway.

He picked up a bottle of red wine on his way over to Chase's apartment. He had to admit that he had no idea what to buy another man when he wanted to impress him. When he had been with Stacy, he would sometimes buy her flowers because he knew that girls liked those kinds of gestures. (And because it had been his only way of making peace with her whenever she was angry with him about something silly). But he had a feeling that Chase was different. The kid didn't seem to need these shallow gestures involving slightly expensive gifts. House had a feeling that his employee would rather appreciate his company instead.

He felt like the luckiest guy in the world as he parked his car outside the building. He couldn't believe that he had finally found someone who cared about him this much. He had forgotten that love could be such a powerful, thrilling emotion. Although, he didn't feel so lucky when he remembered that Chase's apartment was up on the third floor. Damn it, he had forgotten about all the stairs! This would probably cost him ten minutes. Still, it didn't matter. Nothing could break his spirit. He was going to see the person he was in love with, and no hindrances could possibly stop him.

As he reached the third floor, his heart was pounding with exhaustion and excitement. He ran a hand through his hair and also checked to see if his breath was still fresh and minty – it was. Damn it, Wilson would mock him silly if he knew that his friend had become so self-conscious about his own appearance. It was still worth it, though. It was proof that he cared.

He rang the doorbell. He couldn't wait to see the look on the Wombat's face when he realized that House had come to make it all up to him. He hoped that he would smile – or maybe even hug him. Either way he just wanted Chase to be happy again. He deserved it so much.

But the door wasn't answered. House waited half a minute. Then he rang the bell again. He knew that Chase was home. He had seen that the lights were turned on in his window as he was standing in the street. House knew better than to be fooled that easily.

So what did this mean? Was Chase ignoring him? He rang the bell one more time. He thought that maybe Chase was in the shower and he hadn't heard him. When that didn't work, he picked up his cell phone from his pocket. He decided that he should try and call Chase's cell. And even if this didn't work, he was determined to keep on ringing the bell until the door was answered. House knew that he could be stubborn at times, but there was no way that he was going to just give up and go home. He simply _needed _to see Chase. Even if the kid was still too upset to talk to him, he couldn't leave until he had at least seen him…

Inside the apartment, the Australian's cell phone was ringing, but it was ignored. Chase was lying on the couch, face-up and staring at the ceiling. He had no idea how long he'd been there. He had lost all track of time. He turned his head to glance at his phone. He saw that the caller was House and he figured that his boss was the one standing outside and ringing the doorbell as well. But it didn't matter. He wasn't going to open the door to anyone. He wasn't even going to get up from the couch. His vision was too blurry and he would probably just end up losing his balance anyway. He hadn't been this drunk in years. He looked at the half-empty bottle of vodka on the floor. Suddenly, he hated himself for being so pathetic. He was starting to turn into his own mother, and this was something which he had sworn to himself that he would never do. He didn't want to suffer the same fate as her. When she drank herself to death, it had all been so painful that Chase couldn't even think about her memory without feeling his stomach turn.

He didn't want to become that sort of person. He didn't want to be that weak and act so dramatically. But he couldn't help it. It was all becoming too much and this was his only way of forgetting, it seemed…

He thought back on the moment when Foreman had asked him for a kiss and he had tried to pull him closer. Chase had been so shocked, especially to hear that his team mate had had these secret feelings for him all these years. And now those feelings had turned into hate – or at least something similar to that. Chase genuinely felt hated by Foreman. It was a feeling that he wasn't used to at all. In a strange way, it made him feel guilty as hell. He must have done something wrong at some point, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. Had he been ignorant? Arrogant? Had he been too blind and occupied with himself to notice it when other people were trying to make contact with him?

He didn't know. All these questions remained unanswered. All he was sure of was the guilt he was feeling. He figured that Foreman had probably been right about him. He had taken things for granted and he had taken advantage of his own popularity. He hadn't acted as humble as he ought to. He only deserved to pay for his own stupidity. But for some reason, the punishment which he had thought he was facing had never even taken place…

Chase remembered how terrified he had felt and how angry Foreman had been. He remembered Foreman lying on top of his back… And yet, the awful thing which had seemed bound to happen never did. Right now he could barely remember the incident in details, but he was certain that Foreman had been kissing his neck – and that he himself had started crying silently that very second. Chase felt ashamed of his own reaction, but now that he thought about it, the quiet tears had been brought on by his own angst, so maybe it was only natural. He assumed that _that_ was the reason why Foreman had stopped all of a sudden. The tears. When Foreman saw how scared he was, he must have convinced himself that he couldn't go on.

Chase remembered Foreman's words: _"I can't do this. God damn it, I can't do this!" _

Foreman had moved off of him right away. He had gotten up from the floor in such haste as if the building had been set on fire and he needed to flee the room instantly. Chase hadn't dared to look up at him, but when he was certain that Foreman wouldn't try to touch him again, he had sat up and tried to wipe away the tears before he lost all control of himself. He had even felt himself shake with fear.

It was as though Foreman had been struggling to decide his next move. Chase guessed that he had felt angry and regretful at the same time, but that he had been afraid to reveal it. He never apologized for having floored Chase and scared him out of his wits. Instead, Foreman had said:

"_The bet is officially off. You said no. But guess what? Nobody wins this time. Nobody's paying – it was never worth it, anyway."_

Foreman left the basement and the building, driving back to the hospital alone. Chase had continued to sit on the floor for several minutes as he needed to recollect himself. He couldn't understand what had just happened. No, what had _almost _happened. He was relieved and upset at the same time. He wondered what Foreman had meant when he said that "it was never worth it, anyway". Had he meant that Chase wasn't worth all the trouble?

Chase had gone straight back to his apartment as he couldn't bear to face anyone. He felt guilty. He hated himself for getting himself into trouble. For disappointing people and being oblivious to other people's feelings.

He had been called a whore by House. And then by Foreman. What if they were right about him? Chase didn't feel worthy of anyone's love anymore. He wasn't even going to beg House to take him back. He didn't deserve it. He was no good – he hurt other people without even knowing it, and he didn't want House to get hurt and then hate him the way Foreman hated him.

Then he started thinking about his mother. When Chase's dad had left the family, she had been so lonely and depressed that she could see no way out of it. And then the drinking began. Chase had told himself that he needed to get drunk as well… His mother had taught him that it was an easy escape. That it would make everything seem easier. And so he decided to drink some of the vodka he had left from his birthday. But one glass turned into many. Too many…

And now… Now he found himself on the couch, unable to stand. And House was still ringing the doorbell. Why couldn't he just go away? Chase's head was spinning. He didn't want anyone to see him like this. He didn't want the world to know what a pathetic person he was.

Suddenly, House started hammering on the door with his fist instead. And he shouted: "Chase, I know you're in there! It's me – open up!"

How? How was he supposed to open the door? Chase closed his eyes shut. "Please, leave me alone!" He heard himself replying. "Just leave me alone!"

When House heard this, he shook his head irritably and whispered to himself: "Oh no way in hell! I'm not going anywhere!"

He rang the doorbell once again. "I just want to see you!" He yelled. "I really need to talk to you! Don't be such a child, Chase. Let me in, and I promise I'll behave this time!"

Chase didn't even answer him this time. House decided that enough was enough. He was ready to kick the door in, but then it hit him: He hadn't even checked if the door was locked. He took a hold of the door handle and just like that, he realized that he was able to push the door open.

"Oh good thinking!" House told himself proudly. And as he entered the apartment, he shouted: "Let this be a lesson to you, young man! If you leave your door unlocked, eventually a sexy man like myself will walk in the room - even without an invitation!"

House was expecting some kind of response from his employee, even an irritated one. But when he stopped to look at Chase on the couch, he paused and his mind went blank. He could instantly tell that something was wrong. Chase was lying there without even looking at him. He was just staring at the ceiling and his face revealed no emotions whatsoever. There was a bottle of vodka on the floor! House couldn't believe it. Had the kid lost his mind?

"What the hell!" He exclaimed and moved closer to the couch. "Did you start drinking? Chase, are you drunk?!"

Finally, Chase looked up at him. It took him a while before he could think of what to say. "House, this is not a good time. Please, just go away. I'm not in the mood for talking tonight."

But House wouldn't listen to that kind of talk. "How am I supposed to just walk away?" He cried out in frustration. "Chase, I can see that you're upset! I can't just leave you this way!"

Chase wanted to make a remark about House leaving him the other night, but he didn't. After all, he didn't want to blame House for anything. It wasn't House's fault. It was his own.

"It's not worth it," he whispered, repeating Foreman's words, "I'm not worth it!"

"What are you talking about?" House couldn't believe a word of this. Could it really be that Chase was acting this way because of the things he had said to him earlier in his office? Could he really have hurt the Wombat this badly? "Chase, look, I have to tell you something. No, please don't tell me to leave again, because this is something I have to get off my chest!"

Chase just sighed. He wasn't in the mood for listening, but he couldn't say no to House. "All right." He whispered.

"Can I take a seat?" House asked him, already fetching a chair from the kitchen so that he could sit next to Chase and look him in the eyes. He placed the chair next to the couch. "Sorry, I know that you want me to leave, but I really have to tell you this: Chase, I'm sorry. Please forgive me for the way I behaved today!"

Chase frowned. As House was sitting down and looking at him, it felt like the room had stopped spinning. He still wasn't sobering up, but he knew that he was more lucid now. Anyway, he hadn't seen this coming. "Wait, you're apologizing?" He said disbelievingly. "Why?"

"Because I was a jerk when I didn't believe you," House admitted, "Wilson told me everything. I'm so sorry, I should have trusted you. I should have known that you would never do something like that. But the thing is, Chase, that I'm crazy about you. You mean so much to me and the thought of losing you is scarier than anything else in this world! I think – no I know – that I have fallen in love with you. And I only asked Wilson to ask you out because I wanted to make sure that you felt the same way about me."

House paused. There were so many things to say, but now he wanted to allow Chase to reply to his apology. The Australian was more focused now. House knew that he had heard and understood every word.

"Are you really in love with me?" Chase's voice was calm, but his expression looked troubled. It looked like he was on the verge to tears.

"Yes I am." House couldn't help but to smile and he reached out to take a hold of Chase's hand. It felt cold, but House thought that he could warm it in between his own hands. "You should know that I'm deeply in love with you, even though I'm not one for discussing my feelings. Please forgive me. I never should have walked out on you the other night! It was so stupid and unnecessary. I promise you that it will never happen again. Or at least, I will try to act like an adult from now on. I know I can be difficult to deal with, but I will do my best…" House stopped himself when he saw that a tear had dropped from Chase's eye and down on the cushion. "Wait, what's wrong?" He asked. Suddenly, he felt extremely concerned.

And just like that, Chase burst out crying. He had been holding it in for so long now and the alcohol had made him extra sensitive.

"I'm sorry," he sobbed, nearly having to gasp for breath, "I'm so sorry, House! Please forgive me, I don't deserve you! You were right about me earlier. I am just a whore and you are too good for me!"

House felt absolutely horrified to hear this. How could Chase say that about himself? "No, no don't say that!" House begged him. "That's the alcohol talking. Trust me, Chase, you are not a whore! I was very wrong to call you that! I take it all back!"

"It's not the alcohol talking!" Chase objected. "It's true! I'm not worthy of you or anyone else. I don't deserve to be loved!"

House shook his head and tried to calm the Australian down by caressing his hand lightly. But then he noticed something which made his stomach turn and his body freeze. There were several bruises to be found on the kid's wrist. It looked like someone had been holding his hand captured, even to the extent of hurting the Wombat.

"Chase, what the hell is this?" He asked him and pointed to the marks on his wrist. "Who did this to you?"

Chase merely sniffled, but he didn't try to pull his hand away from House. "Something happened earlier," he finally admitted, "but I'm okay. It wasn't that bad. He only meant to scare me, I think."

"Who only meant to scare you?" House sputtered with outrage. "Chase, you need to tell me everything right now!"

Chase's cheeks were flushed and wet with tears. "There's something you should know first." He swallowed a couple of times, and then he looked up at House. "I ended the bet. It's all over now, House. I don't have to let people approach me anymore. Only you are allowed to do that from now on. If you still want me."

"Of course I still want you! Don't be silly, nothing could make me change my mind about that." House planted a quick kiss on Chase's hand. "But you have to tell me what happened, okay? Otherwise I won't be able to help you!"

Chase just nodded. He was silent for a moment, but then he started telling House everything that had happened with Foreman. He told him the reason why Foreman had been so angry. And why he had started the bet. And in the end, he also told House that Foreman had almost done _something_ to Chase against his will, but that he had changed his mind the very last second. (House instantly knew what he meant by "something").

To be honest, House was boiling with rage. He wanted to hunt Foreman down and fire his sorry ass! He shouldn't get away with something like this! How dared he treat the Wombat this way? How dared he make him believe that he was a bad person who didn't deserve to be loved? But then, House had to tell himself that he would deal with Foreman later. He would get his punishment when the time was right. Because right now, he had to focus on comforting the Wombat. His Wombat.

Chase had started crying again when he told House that Foreman had pushed him to the floor. Even if he had stopped himself in time, Chase couldn't remember ever having been that terrified before.

"But I deserved it," he sniffled, "it was my own fault. Everything that happened this week was all my fault. I can see that now."

"What? Are you kidding me?" House exclaimed. "Chase, how could you possibly think that? Foreman had no right to do what he did! You didn't do anything wrong! How were you supposed to know that he liked you when he's always acted like he doesn't give a crap about you?"

Tears were streaming down Chase's cheeks again. He wondered if it was really the alcohol's doing, because he genuinely felt heart-broken. It was an awful feeling being disgusted with yourself.

"You don't understand, House," he said in a broken, defeated voice, "I did do something wrong. I never said no! I took the stupid bet too seriously. I should never have let all those people approach me. I'm so weak that it's pathetic!"

House wanted to tell Chase that he was wrong, but he could sense that the kid was in no mood for arguments. The best thing he could do was trying to understand what he meant by this. He caressed the Wombat's hand again, meaning to remind him that it was all going to be okay.

"So tell me," House said in a calm voice, "why is it so hard for you to tell people no? Has it always been a problem for you?"

Chase thought about it for a moment. "It started when my dad walked out on the family. After that, I could never tell my mum no or deny her anything. I was scared that if I said no, she would get mad and leave me too." He paused to think again. "But of course, she ended up leaving me anyway when she died and I was all alone."

House could see the pattern and it all came to make sense to him. "So let me get this straight," he said, "you can't say no to people because you're afraid that they will get mad and leave you just like your parents did? Am I right?"

He was. House knew that he was. Oh, how it all made sense now! That was why Chase had stayed with Cameron for so long, even if she had treated him like he wasn't good enough for her. The kid was scared to be on his own. He was scared that people would turn their backs on him and stop loving him all of a sudden if he objected too much. Chase was scared to be alone… And House knew all about loneliness.

"You don't understand," Chase defended himself as he feared that House wouldn't get it, "I've been abandoned by people all my life! Do you have any idea how awful it is when someone in your life tells you that they don't love you anymore and then walks away?"

Chase was overwhelmed by another flow of tears as he remembered all the people that had walked out on him. The memory of his dead parents would always be the worst. That was something he would never get over. He started crying violently this time, and that was enough to devastate House completely.

"My poor baby…" House whispered. He felt Chase's pain more than anyone would ever know. He told himself that the time had come for him to be the strong and comforting one. Chase needed his support more than ever.

He got up from the chair and he moved to the couch so that he could lie down next to Chase. There was barely enough space for the both of them, so House made sure to move underneath the Wombat so that he could rest his head on his chest. Chase was still sobbing and House embraced him, pulled him closer into a loving hug that was supposed to remind him that he wasn't alone anymore.

"It's okay," House whispered and ran his fingers through Chase's soft hair, "I'm here for you."

Chase sniffled and his body was shaking a little bit. He threw his arms around House's chest as soon as he knew that his boss would be all right with it. Resting his head on House's chest was such a relief to him. He could smell House and it reminded him of when he had fallen asleep in his chair… It was a smell that made him feel so safe and protected. He knew that House's shirt was becoming wet with his tears, but it didn't seem to bother him.

"It's okay, just let it all out." House encouraged him and hugged him even tighter. "I'm here, baby." He kissed Chase's forehead and he could sense that he was starting to calm down now.

Chase continued to sob for another minute or two. Then he became very quiet. He seemed exhausted and House couldn't blame him. He'd been through so much.

"Are you feeling better now?" House whispered in a soothing voice.

"I think so." Chase mumbled, his head still pressed against House's chest. He had closed his eyes now. House was so nice and warm; he couldn't resist snuggling closer and closer against him…

"Good." House pulled him closer once again. He wanted to make sure that Chase was comfortable. The kid could really use some sleep and he was aware of that. "Before you fall asleep, I want to share a few thoughts with you." He then said.

"'Kay." Chase sighed sleepily and he sounded much happier now. Relaxed.

"First of all, I want you to know that none of it was your fault. Foreman basically attacked you and that can never be justified. You did nothing wrong, I promise you that. Second of all, you should know that it's okay for you to say no to people from now on. Even to me. Because you are never going to be alone again, do you understand? I will never leave your side. Not in a million years! There is nothing you can do to chase me away. You mean the world to me and I am going to be here for you." House paused to check if the Wombat was still awake. He was. "I also figured out what we are going to do from here." He said.

Chase breathed heavily. "What are we going to do?" He asked in a drowsy, happy voice.

"We are both going to call in sick tomorrow. I hate to break this to you, but you might be in for a nasty hangover. Don't worry, though, I have a feeling that you will be keeping your hands off the vodka in the future. I'm going to make sure of it. So here is the plan – we will spend all day tomorrow together. We don't even have to get out of the apartment. I think that we could both use some time to ourselves, away from everyone else. If you feel sick in the morning, you just let me know and I will help you, okay? And if there's anything you need, you only have to ask for it. I'm going to take care of you until you're back to normal, is that understood?"

Chase was quiet for a moment or two. Then he snuggled closer against House and whispered: "Yes, understood."

And then he fell asleep. House held him close in his arms and listened to his breathing. He still couldn't believe all the things that had happened, but he knew that things would get better from now on. He was going to make sure of it.

A few minutes later, House had closed his eyes and joined his Wombat in his sleep.

**To be continued…**


	15. Chapter 15

House woke up when a ray of sunshine landed on his face. He blinked a couple of times. He could hear birds and traffic noises outside the window. It took him several moments to remember where he was, but then he felt the young man still lying in his arms. He felt Chase's short, peaceful breaths tickling the hairs on his chest. He couldn't help but to smile – it was a wonderful sensation. _Thank god, _he thought to himself. It hadn't been a dream. Chase was really here with him – he had really won him over.

But of course, relief was only one of the things he felt. He also continued to be extremely concerned. He had learned about all the emotional scars that were still bothering his employee and he knew that it would take time to recover from all the things that had happened to him. It didn't matter, though. House knew that they would both get through it. He was going to stand by Chase, no question about it. He was going to make his world a happier place to be, even if everything came to seem hopeless at times.

House had to admit that he was proud of himself. He never thought he had it in him. He never thought that he could ever take care of someone like he was about to take care of the Wombat. He had thought himself too selfish. And childish, probably. He had always thought that he was going to be the one being taken care of until his dying day, never the other way around. Maybe being with Chase had already made him a better and stronger person. Now that he had found happiness again, he had also found the power to grow.

He was grateful that he didn't need to use the bathroom right away, because there was no way that he could get up from the couch without waking up the sleeping Wombat. House tried to lift his own head so that he could sneak a peek at the beautiful blond in his arms. He looked pale, but at least it didn't look as though he was having a troubled sleep. His face was relaxed. House studied his features with a sense of amazement. He looked so young and just as innocent as a baby. Then he remembered actually having called him his baby last night… several times. House hadn't even realized how out of character that was for him. But for some reason, the word "baby" had just come natural to him. He truly treasured Chase, and he _was_ going to take care of him, so the choice of word fully made sense to him.

He moved a hand to feel the kid's forehead. He wasn't cold like he'd been last night. In fact, he was pretty hot. Not burning as such, House estimated, but he still felt feverish. His cheeks looked slightly flushed as well. He wished to simply lie there and look at him in his peaceful sleep. House remembered the day he had first laid eyes on Chase. He had noticed his beauty right away. It had seemed like such an extraordinary kind of beauty – the kind you never expected to see in real life. Only in movies or in the pretty pictures in the magazines. Or perhaps, it had seemed like the kind of beauty that man could only dream of and fantasize about. It all reminded House of that Dorian Gray story. He wondered if Chase's beauty was possibly even a dangerous kind of beauty. Because it was certainly strong enough to turn a man like House mad if anything was to happen to him. He would go crazy for his Wombat and he didn't mind it…

A sudden noise made House jump. His phone was ringing. Oh bloody hell, he'd even left it on the table. There was no way that he could reach it without getting up. The ringing continued and soon enough, he heard Chase groan. The Wombat stirred in House's arms as he was waking up. He turned his head slowly, but he didn't let go of House; his arms were still wrapped around him.

The phone turned silent and House drew a breath of relief. But then it started ringing again, and he instantly knew that it must be Cuddy. She was the only one that stubborn, besides himself of course. Everyone knew that.

"Oh crap!" He muttered as he realized that he had to get up from the couch and hence wake up Chase. He wondered what time it was.

"Good god, what's that noise?" The Wombat whimpered, only half-awake, and this time, he moved a hand to his own temple. House figured that he might have a head ache.

"Don't worry about it, it's just my own personal wake up caller! I'll get it now!" House said and tried to move away from Chase without having to turn him over. He gently kissed the kid's forehead before getting up.

As he reached for the phone, his suspicion was confirmed. "Doctor Cuddy," he said as he finally decided to answer the call, "to what do I owe this pleasure? Not too many people volunteer to function as my personal alarm clock!"

"_House, stop messing with me! Where the hell are you? Do you have any idea how late you are?" _

Oh, she sounded her usual self. House argued with her for a minute or two, desperately trying to convince her that he was, in fact, sick and needed the entire day off.

"Oh and by the way, the same goes for doctor Chase!" House added casually – as if this piece of information wouldn't seem strange at all.

"_What?!" _Cuddy exclaimed into the phone. _"How the hell do you know that?"_

But House merely hung up before she could ask any further question. He knew that she would eventually give him hell and punish him for it, but it didn't matter now. This was certainly worth it. As he hung up, he turned around to notice that his employee was now sitting up in the couch and staring at him with an inquiring look on his face.

"Oh, that went well!" House declared with a neutral look on his face. "I'm sure our conversation didn't make her curious at all!"

"Cuddy?" Chase merely asked in a hoarse voice. He was beginning to look worried now.

"Yes, but don't worry about it. I'm not gonna let her throw a fit. Not today." House grabbed his cane from the floor. "How are you feeling? You look exhausted."

"Oh no, I'm much better now!" Chase discretely stretched his back, ignoring the sudden pain from the bruises and the increasing head ache. "I'm just a little tired, is all!"

House smirked at him. "Yeah right. I heard you groan when the phone rang. You're sensitive to loud noises and you have a killer head ache right this moment, don't you? Don't think you can hide the fact that you're hung-over from me. I saw how drunk you were last night!"

Chase had to supress a sigh. He should have known better than to try and satisfy House with a lie. "All right," he admitted, "I guess my head's not too good at the moment. But it's not that bad either, I promise."

House studied him for a moment. He was certain that the kid was trying to make it sound better than it really was. "Fine," he said, "but at least tell me if you start to feel nauseous, okay? I'm not going anywhere. Not even if I see you throw up. I said that I would stay with you all day and I'm going to!"

Chase blinked a couple of times. He hated to admit it, but House's loyalty surprised him. "Okay." He nodded. "Thank you. I'm really glad to have you here." Then he figured that his boss was probably exhausted as well. After all, he'd put a lot of strength and effort into comforting him last night. And he'd also had to listen to some ugly stories. Chase was sure that House wanted to rest and forget about it all just as badly as he did himself. "Please, sit down," he said and moved to make more room for House, "are you hungry? I could make you some breakfast if you want!"

House willingly sat down on the couch again. He looked at his watch. It was almost 10am. "Oh, I'm starving," he grinned, "but I'm really picky when it comes to breakfast – or any other meal. I only want the best, you see. Are you sure that you can keep up with the breakfast that Wilson usually buys me?"

House was merely joking, but Chase took the question seriously and thought about it for a moment. "Well, that depends. What does he buy you?"

"Pancakes if I'm lucky. Scones or muffins if I'm not!" House adopted a wait-and-see attitude. He wondered if the Wombat would actually offer to make him pancakes. He bet that even the smell would make him vomit.

Chase looked at him and smiled. "Well, you're in luck then. My childhood nanny taught me how to make the best pancakes in the world. Even Cameron used to enjoy them!"

The Australian jumped to get up from the couch, but he nearly stumbled and took a fall when he realized that his body seemed to be drained of energy. He winced and held a hand over the back of his head. It was truly starting to become painful.

"Hey, take it easy!" House ordered him and wondered if he should rather tell the kid to sit down again and not cook at all. "What's with the rush? We've got all day, remember? I thought that wombats were supposed to be cute and elegant creatures. I had no idea that they could be so clumsy!"

"Oh, are you comparing me to a wombat now?" Chase decided to laugh it off. "I thought you'd go for the more obvious and call me Skippy instead. Good for you, House!"

"That's it?" House asked, realizing that Chase didn't mind being called a wombat at all. "You get a cute nickname and I don't? Gotta admit that I'm a little disappointed here!"

"Fine," Chase stood to take a good look at him now that he was sprawled on the couch, "what's a proper name for someone who pretends to be grumpy and mean, but is secretly soft at heart and fond of cuddling?"

House couldn't help but to grin. Oh, the kid was good! He had to admit that. "You're right," he said, "there is no name for what I am. I'm a species of my own! I'm very unique!"

"Yeah you are." Suddenly, Chase bowed down to give House a quick, but loving hug. "Don't ever change. You are perfect just as you are."

House responded well to the hug, but he didn't want to reveal how it actually touched him. No one had ever paid him that kind of compliment. People had always wanted to change him, to mould him into something that he was not. But this kid was so different from everyone else, thank god!

"Here." Chase tossed him the remote and gestured that he should just lie back and relax. "I remember you telling me that you enjoy watching TV with your meals. Make yourself comfortable. Do you want something to drink?"

Just a moment later, House had been served a cold glass of orange juice. How the hell did Chase know that he preferred this over coffee in the morning?

"Oh, you're spoiling me!" House was smiling like a sun. He couldn't remember the last time anyone had volunteered to wait on him like this. "Be careful, though. I could easily get used to being taken care of like this!"

Chase shrugged as if to say that it was nothing. "It's my turn to take care of you, I guess. After everything you did for me last night, I owe you this much."

Chase went into the kitchen and started making pancakes from scratch while House remained on the couch, occupied with all his favourite TV-series. Even General Hospital was on – it was his lucky day, it seemed. He couldn't believe how comfortable he felt in this apartment already. He truly felt welcome – there was no doubt that Chase actually wanted his company and didn't find it annoying, like Stacy had at times.

When, eventually, the pancakes were ready and on the table, Chase made sure to keep his eyes on House. He didn't want to miss his first reaction as he took a bite to taste them. Luckily, he seemed more than pleased with the result.

"Oh this is absolutely delicious," House champed happily, "screw whatever Wilson buys me! This is the real deal! I'm never going back to eating junk food again!"

"Oh are you suggesting that I should make you this every morning?" Chase laughed. "Because then I'd have to get up at 5am!"

"Sleep is over-rated!" House remarked. "Great food is not!"

As House finished eating, Chase was starting to feel overwhelmed by the pain so he lied down to rest his head in House's lap. House noticed this right away. He had been a little worried when Chase couldn't even eat a single bite himself, but then again, that was to be expected in his post-drunken state. He looked down at the Wombat. His cheeks still looked flushed. Perhaps he really was having a fever.

"Hey, are you sure you're feeling okay? I'm not making you sick by eating, am I?" House brushed the hair away from the kid's forehead. Then he started to stroke Chase's shoulder, caressing him gently with his fingertips.

"No, of course not." Chase smiled and looked up at him. "Don't worry. I'm fine."

They stayed that way for quite a while; House leaning back in the couch and Chase resting his head in his lap. They watched a few of House's programmes together and shared some good laughs. They were both enjoying themselves so much. Neither of them even cared to keep track of the time. House kept on stroking Chase's shoulder as well as his golden strands of hair. He knew that the Wombat found his gentle touch soothing… And to be honest, House was thrilled to just be able to touch him.

"I really think you need to drink something," House noted after a while, "I know you said you couldn't eat anything, but at least you should drink. You're dehydrated enough as it is and I don't think you'll feel better until you drink something."

Chase knew that this was something he couldn't argue with. That being said, though, he really didn't feel like drinking or even tasting anything. Just the idea made him feel nauseous. "Thanks," he said, "but I don't know if I can. I really think I'm better off without trying."

"Yeah well, that might be true, but you also know that I'm right. Your body really needs fluid. You might start dehydrating soon and trust me, you don't want that. Here, have some of my orange juice. I promise you it's good!"

Chase glared at his boss. He was much hesitant to comply, but he also knew that House was only being insistent because he wanted him to get better. He knew that this was for his own good.

"Yeah, all right," he then sighed, "I'll try that. Thanks."

He sat up and House reached out for the glass of orange juice. He brought the glass all the way up to his employee's lips as if he feared that the Wombat was going to change his mind. He watched as Chase took a couple of sips. He made sure that he swallowed the liquid, and for a moment, Chase really looked calm. But then, only seconds later, he grimaced and held a hand to cover his mouth.

"I… I don't feel so good." He muttered, and with those words, he got up from the couch and ran towards the bathroom.

House turned his head in the direction of the bathroom, wondering if he should follow to check up on the poor Wombat. But then he heard the kid retching and he figured that he probably wanted to have some privacy. He got up and moved towards the kitchen instead. He searched for a cloth of some kind and when he finally found one in one of the bottom drawers, he wrung it in cold water.

Chase returned from the bathroom after having brushed his teeth carefully. He looked extremely pale now and his forehead glistened with sweat. He looked downright miserable. Apparently, he wasn't ready for drinking anything either.

"I'm sorry," he said, looking slightly embarrassed all of a sudden, "I didn't mean to spoil your appetite!"

"Oh please, I was finished eating anyway." House said, wanting to make him feel better. "Come here and lie down again. I think you need to sleep it off if you can!"

House sat down on the couch and he gestured that Chase should lie down, resting his head in his lap once again. This was something that Chase was happy to do. Being close to House like this was the only thing that made him feel well. It made him feel warm and protected.

"That's right," House whispered and began to stroke the kid's hair once again as he placed the cool cloth over his burning forehead, "just take it easy. You'll be all right. Close your eyes, baby, it's okay."

Chase sighed with happiness and did as House told him. It felt so great to let the cloth cool him off and House's gentle touches practically lulled him to sleep. He was surprised that he could feel this comfortable, even when he was still in pain.

"You called me your baby again." He breathed with a quiet smile. And then he slowly dozed off.

As he was sleeping peacefully again, House was happy to just sit back and enjoy looking at the pretty face in his lap. However, it also meant that he had plenty of time to think the situation over. He was alone with his own thoughts, and naturally, he kept thinking about Foreman and all the things he'd put Chase through. Suddenly, House felt furious again. He had promised himself that he wouldn't worry about Foreman today since he was going to dedicate this day entirely to looking after Chase and making him feel better again. But it was just so damn difficult to calm himself down. He _couldn't _let Foreman off the hook, he just couldn't! He deserved to be punished. He deserved to be fired, but he doubted that Cuddy would allow him to do that. Maybe if House told her the true reason for doing so, but no… He could never do that to Chase. He knew that he would never want anybody else to know what had happened. And House could never bring himself to let him down by telling his colleagues about the harrowing episode in the basement. He had to keep this secret, even if it was on the verge of driving him crazy…

Still, he needed to find out what to do about Foreman. He needed to find out how he could possibly punish him. He wondered if he even regretted his actions or words. Foreman had always been so harsh, so grave. He was the kind of person who took everything seriously. He never laughed at things. He hated it when not only House made jokes, but people in general… Foreman didn't like other people, House estimated. House knew what it was like to be reserved as a human being, but Foreman could be downright resentful and angry.

House thought to himself that he knew perfectly well what it was like to be in love with Chase. He'd spent so much time just pining for him and sure, it hadn't been pleasant to think that he could never have him. He understood that it must hurt for Foreman to know that his feelings would never be returned. But he also knew that if it had been him - if House had known that Chase could never love _him_ back the same way - he could never bring himself to harm him in any way. Yes, he would feel lonely and frustrated, but he would never take that out on the Wombat.

How could anyone truly want to harm someone as kind, beautiful and life-affirming as Chase? House just couldn't understand it. Just looking at Chase had always made him happy. It had always made him smile and feel all warm inside.

The Wombat woke up again an hour later. He told House that he was feeling slightly better, but he must have known that House had been thinking about Foreman while he was out. He could see it in his eyes. The seriousness.

"House, are you all right? You look very… concerned." Chase noted and shifted his position on the couch so that he could look his boss in the eyes. "You're not thinking about Foreman, are you?"

House turned his head away. "I'm sorry, but it's something that has to be taken care of at some point. You know we can't let him get away with this, Chase. It wouldn't be right! He needs to know that if he ever pulls something like this again…"

"No, House, please stop." Chase moved a hand to the older man's bearded cheek. "Look at me. Please don't think about Foreman now. Not today, all right? Let's forget about him. Let's not give a crap about him! He's not that important, is he?"

House merely started shaking his head. "How can you say that? If we ignore his actions, we might as well justify them and make them all right for him to do again! I refuse to do that, Chase. He needs to pay for this. I want him to regret ever laying a hand on you! I want him to take all those filthy words back!"

"House, please," Chase said pleadingly, stroking his cheek, "not today. I can't take it – just thinking about Foreman almost makes my head explode!"

"See, that's what I'm talking about! You're still suffering from what he did to you! You're still emotionally affected by his actions. Please, Chase, I can't let him break you. You mean too much to me. Just let me make it right again, okay? I think I know how to handle this. I am just going to find him at the hospital. I will tell him not to come near you ever again, and I will-"

Suddenly, House was cut off by Chase's lips. The young Australian had leaned in to kiss him, knowing that this would make him shut up and forget about punishing Foreman. And House had to admit that it was working. Oh bloody hell, how could his soft kisses be so sweet and irresistible even when he was feverish and hung-over? Chase put all his strength and energy into seducing House right this second, no doubt about that. He elegantly moved to place himself completely in House's lap and he gently folded his arms around his boss's neck, pushing him further back in the couch. He nibbled sweetly at House's lip and then he started kissing him all over his face. Chase could feel House breathing heavily, breathing into his open mouth, even. Oh this felt so good… He let one of his hands slide down House's chest, pausing to caress one of his hard nipples. House had to hold his breath in order not to moan loudly.

"I was just thinking about taking a shower," Chase whispered teasingly in his ear, "maybe you would like to join me?"

"Holy crap, you're good!" House groaned in surrender. There was no way that he could resist the blond. He threw his arms around Chase's slender body, holding him close as he entered his mouth with his tongue. Chase tried to take control of the kiss, but House wouldn't let him. He eagerly stuck his tongue further down the kid's throat just to state his point. And Chase seemed to melt into his embrace, moaning and sighing for each second the kiss lasted…

When House broke the kiss after a while he leaned back to lock his own eyes with the Australian's. "So," he said with a boyish, satisfied grin, "you convinced me. Are you going to show me the way to the shower or not?"

Chase smiled, carefully nudging the tip of his nose against House's. "Follow me." He giggled seductively and lifted himself off of House.

And naturally, House followed him without hesitation. Oh, this was going to be so good!

**To be continued… **


	16. Chapter 16

They had both been so busy laughing, cuddling and kissing each other in the shower that none of them had even thought twice about undressing in front of each other. It had all come so naturally; Chase had torn off House's shirt and House had unzipped the kid's pants using his teeth. They were both so extremely hot for each other, but now that they had stepped out of the bathroom and entered the bedroom, they were starting to feel self-conscious. (They were both merely wearing a towel around their waist).

It began when House noticed the bruises appearing across Chase's ribs, also covering a big part of his chest. He was absolutely horrified when he also noticed a large, ugly bite mark on the kid's left shoulder. Had Foreman actually gone as far as to bite him? Oh, House was going to end his life!

Chase detected House's staring instantly. He tried not to blush when his boss' eyes darted from his blue and yellow coloured chest to his bitten shoulder. He knew that House was going to throw a tantrum if he didn't do something very quick.

"House, listen, I know what you're looking at," Chase said calmly and took a step towards him, "but it's really not that bad. I can barely feel it!"

House's piercing blue eyes grew even bigger. "Yeah right! And my middle name's Pamela!"

"Okay fine, it hurts every now and then but I feel better now that I'm with you. I'm all right so please, let's just ignore it. Besides, I already told you what happened in that basement so you shouldn't act so surprised."

House huffed and rolled his eyes. "You told me that he threw you down on the floor and mounted you from behind, so I'm guessing that's how the concrete floor came to injure and discolour your ribs. But you never told me that he actually bit you! Call me old-fashioned if you like, but I do consider that worth mentioning!"

Chase sighed. "Look, you're right - okay? But I think the part when he bit me just slipped my mind. I mean, everything happened so fast. The biting was just a small part of the incident, but it's nothing to worry about. Not now."

Chase knew how turned on House had been in the shower. His hands had been all over him and House had even mumbled something about his smooth, golden brown skin and how much he loved touching it. So he decided to distract the older man by offering him a chance to focus on the rest of his body. He let the towel drop and just like that, he was standing naked in front of his boss without feeling even remotely embarrassed. And it seemed to be working. House's eyes darted downwards almost immediately and the older doctor practically licked his lips with pleasure.

"You and your cheap tricks!" House complained, but his wry smile gave him away and Chase knew that he didn't mind this at all. In fact, he encouraged it.

"It's not a cheap trick," Chase assured him, "I'm just proving to you that there is more to me than just bruises and discolorations. I'm not broken, House. There is nothing to worry about."

House knew that he was at least partially right. When he looked at the kid, he didn't just see the bruises and all the hurt. He could also see that Chase was strong and more confident now. He was glowing – all the beauty had almost made the kid radiant, and it was certainly outshining the ugly, yet shallow marks that Foreman had made on his body. No, he wasn't broken. He was glorious as ever.

"I really wish that you could overlook the bruises, House," Chase said and moved forward again, "because they literally mean nothing to me! I couldn't care less."

"So they mean nothing, eh? Why do I get the feeling that you're actually referring to something else?" House smirked, but he knew that this was getting serious. Obviously, they were no longer talking about Chase's bodily wounds, but rather, they were talking about House's large, impossible-to-miss, eternal scar. The towel around his waist was still covering up his thigh…

Chase suppressed a sigh. He knew how sensitive House would be about this, but he desperately wanted him to know that he didn't care about the scar at all. (No matter how big and ugly it actually was). He knew that that scar represented the most painful thing that had ever happened in House's life, therefore, he needed to be delicate about it. In the shower, House had been pushing Chase up against the wall the entire time just so he wouldn't be able to look down at his bad thigh. Chase hadn't minded at all, but neither did he want House to be embarrassed around him. He should know that he didn't have to hide.

"House," he said as gently as he could, "you know that you can trust me, right? I honestly don't care about any kind of bruises… or scars."

House huffed, but tried to hold a smile at the same time. "Well, I guess that's pretty lucky for me then. If you really mean it."

"I do."

Suddenly, Chase moved to kneel down by House side, and even though House felt terrified at first, he instantly knew that to do. He let the towel drop, and as he was standing there naked, he allowed Chase to fully study the scar on his thigh. It was as big as a fist, and just as ugly as it was painful. House expected the kid to look shocked and turn uncomfortably silent, just like Stacy would whenever she caught a glimpse of the scar. (She had always hated looking at it). But instead, Chase just looked up at House and smiled.

"You are not broken," he whispered tenderly, "you are just as strong as everyone else. House, you're beautiful."

And then the kid _kissed_ his scar by softly pressing his lips against it. It didn't even hurt! In fact, it almost tickled, but it made House feel extremely warm inside. His heart was beating faster that very second and just like that, he could feel himself getting aroused. He realized that Chase's sweet touch had made him long for him. Not just his pretty lips or his smooth skin, but _all _of him. So House decided that it was time to demonstrate his lust and his _growing_ confidence.

"Damn right, I'm strong." House sniggered. "I'll show you just how strong I am!"

He had pulled Chase back up from the floor in one rapid movement. Just as he was holding his Wombat close in his arms, House took a step forward so that he could push the kid down onto the bed. And of course, he immediately jumped on top of him. He knew that he would usually be too concerned with his leg to do anything like this, but for some reason, he just knew that he wouldn't feel any pain now.

Chase squealed with laughter when he fell down on his back and felt House landing on top of him, hard enough to make them both bounce in the soft mattress. House had him pinned down, just to prove his point, and they began to kiss each other instantly. The kisses were deep and passionate, just like they had been in the shower.

"Wait a second," House said and paused, "this isn't too much for you, is it? I mean, are you sure that you're ready for it?"

House looked uncomfortable for a moment, and Chase realized that he secretly feared that his actions reminded him of Foreman; Foreman had pushed him down on the floor and now, House had pushed him down on the bed. The two gestures were kind of similar to each other, admittedly. But their intentions were nothing alike.

"I'm very sure," Chase assured him with an encouraging smile, "please don't stop!"

"But what about your head? I'm sure you still have a small concussion!"

"My head's just fine!" Chase stretched his neck so that he could reach House with his lips. He began to kiss the older doctor's chin, then he moved downwards to nibble at his neck. "Trust me, this is all I want! I need you, House. I really need you…"

House giggled. The kid's eagerness was something so very adorable. It felt good to be wanted for a change. There was nothing that House could deny him that very moment. "All right then," he said, "but just promise me that you will let me know if it gets too rough. If _I _am too rough."

House had never been with another man before. Sex with Stacy had always been rather restricted for some reason, but he could easily imagine losing all self-control with Chase. The kid was so beautiful, so delicious, so charming – he almost didn't trust himself with him. He knew that he would most likely let himself go and forget to be careful. Even if he had never actually had sex with a man before, he felt like he really knew what to do. Or at least what he _desired_ to do to Chase.

"Promise me that you won't let me get too rough!" House repeated and breathed heavily. "I… I don't want it to hurt in any way."

Chase was touched by House's concern. He had certainly known men who couldn't care less if it hurt or if it was too rough. He remembered his first time with another man. It had hurt a lot because he wasn't ready for it. He hadn't really known what to expect. But naturally, he had learned to enjoy it, even if he had more experience with women. Or at least, he hadn't slept with another man since _at least_ some time before Cameron. He knew that it was quite possible that it was going to hurt all over again, but he couldn't care less. It was House. It was his House… Nothing could possibly be too much for him right now.

"Don't worry," Chase kissed his cheek with a little smack, "I'm not going to break. I have been ready for this in years!"

"Oh yeah, I should have guessed that you spent all those years pining for me!" House said with a self-satisfied smirk. "Well, let me make it up to you!"

Before Chase could add a single word, House kissed him deeply, once again pinning him down using the strength of his bare hands. Chase hated to admit it, but he was surprised just how strong House really was! He immediately melted into his touch and his kiss. He couldn't resist now, even if he had wanted to. House had surrounded him, overpowered him, and being trapped under his warm, eagerly moving body was the most wonderful feeling in the world, Chase thought. It felt great to be this close to him. His touches weren't just demanding, but also passionate and caressing. Full of affection.

And the kisses – or rather _the_ kiss, which seemed to go on in all eternity – had Chase panting and gasping. He twisted under House's weight, unable to contain himself. Luckily, House was prepared to hold him just in place. Chase could feel that House was erect and suddenly, he was desperate for more. He wrapped his legs around the older man's waist, trying to elevate his own pelvis so that he could feel House's erection properly. House picked up on this immediately – he made sure to practically rub his own crotch against Chase's. As a result, Chase started gasping even louder, but it was quickly silenced by House's deep kiss.

"Oh you are just helpless, aren't you?" House uttered, his lips still pressed against Chase's. "You are so sensitive to my touch – I can feel you shiver!"

There was no way that Chase could deny it. House slowly let one hand slide down his chest and stomach. He didn't stop there. He continued all the way down to his thigh where his skin was most sensitive – and ticklish. Chase began to squirm instantly and he was shivering once again. He meant to let out a loud shriek, but House was still covering his mouth with his own. Chase's voice drowned, died out somewhere in the back of his throat when House's tongue began to tease him again. And just like that, the shriek turned into a soft moan, followed by a blissful sigh.

House realized that Chase was so occupied with the kiss that his body was now fully relaxed. He had wondered how and when to take the next step. He had no idea just how ready Chase needed to be in order for it not to hurt. But then again, the kid did seem pretty eager. And House had to admit that he was dying of eagerness himself. He longed for Chase so much. He was so ready that he was afraid that he might _burst_ if he waited too long…

House decided to take the kid by surprise while he was still fully relaxed. He considered flipping Chase over so that he was lying on his stomach, but he feared that this sort of action would only bring back the memories of Foreman. Instead, he should be able to see his face, look him in the eyes and know that he could trust him completely. If he was asked to stop, House would stop in a heartbeat. There was no doubt about that. Having made his choice, House grabbed the kid by the shoulders and thrust himself inside him.

He was inside Chase! He almost couldn't believe it! He wasn't balls-deep, but it was pretty close. Chase had cried out, as expected, but it didn't sound like he was in pain. It sounded more like he was surprised or a bit overwhelmed.

"Oh God!" The kid exclaimed, now biting down on his own lip. "House, please!"

House's erection was throbbing hard now. He had longed to be inside him for so long, and now that he was… It was the best sensation he had ever experienced. So much better than he could even have dreamed of. How on earth was he supposed to control himself at this point? All he wanted to do was to fuck the kid through the mattress!

House began to move, slowly. Chase started gasping again. He had thrown his head back and closed his eyes shut. The sight of him lying back and just taking it… It made House go wild and almost lose his mind. He grabbed a hold of the Wombat's wrists and then he started moving in and out of him, repeatedly. Chase was moaning and throwing his head back again and again, like he almost couldn't take it. House leaned in to bite his bottom lip. Oh, how he loved teasing him!

"You're so tight…" House breathed the words against Chase's slightly pink lips. He really was, and House loved it.

He slowly lost control of his own thrusts; they became deeper and deeper and he was also moving more quickly. He simply couldn't stop himself now. And then, finally, he was able to thrust himself all the way in. Chase gulped and whimpered, but he didn't struggle against it at all.

"You're so big," he whispered, begging for more, "oh God, House, I can feel all of you! Please don't stop!"

"Oh, I'm not gonna stop!" House nibbled at the kid's neck. "I'm going to fuck you senseless!"

He literally did. House had kept thrusting and thrusting, using all his strength to enter Chase fully each time. And the kid had moaned and squirmed, bit his lip and then, finally, cried out House's name. It was amazing to hear him plead with pleasure like this. It was amazing to feel Chase's body spasm because he lost all control of himself. It was even more amazing to hear his own name being shouted out like that, followed by a series of unintelligible noises which revealed that Chase had climaxed. As soon as Chase had cried out one final time, his entire body became slack. That was when House finally allowed himself to join him; he practically let out a small scream before emptying himself inside the Wombat.

House immediately collapsed on top of him. He wrapped his arms around Chase's warm body, pulling him close. He could feel his high pulse, he could even hear the kid's heart pounding. House ran a hand through the blond hair. Then he kissed his forehead.

"That was amazing!" House nearly gasped for air. He was still breathed heavily, savouring every second. He could feel the sweat dripping off his own body. He hadn't felt this alive in years! Decades, maybe!

He looked down to lock his eyes with Chase's, but then he discovered something. The Wombat had passed out in his arms – with a big, satisfied smile on his face. (At least he'd climaxed before blacking out). He looked like the happiest person in the world that very moment, House thought, even in his state of unconsciousness.

House felt worried for a second. He wondered if maybe he had been too rough. Too demanding. But then he looked down at the smile on the kid's face again and he decided that Chase was just fine. He just needed a little rest after this.

House kissed his forehead once again and removed the blond hair from his eyes. He couldn't help but to grin. He loved looking at the Wombat. This was possibly the most beautiful he had ever been. And House was happy to know that he was the only witness. _He_ was the reason he was smiling like this – and the world would never even know.

"Thank you," he whispered and lifted himself off of his slack, relaxed body, "you just made me feel twenty years younger already!"

House wanted to stay this way, resting at Chase's side, admiring him in peace. But then he remembered that it was also time to figure out what to do about Foreman. Because his punishment was something that couldn't – nor shouldn't – wait forever. And House was still desperate to make him pay, even if it had to happen without Chase knowing it.

**To be continued…**


	17. Chapter 17

Chase had been out for at least half an hour. During that time, it looked like he'd been sleeping peacefully so House didn't dare waking him up. He'd spent some of that time just watching the sleeping Wombat and it had made him smile a great deal.

But in the meantime, he knew that he couldn't wait much longer. He wouldn't rest until he'd faced Foreman. Until he'd forced the bastard to admit what he had done. If he was lucky, Foreman regretted his actions by now and he would quit his job voluntarily out of mere shame. But if that wasn't the case, House would find a way to get rid of him anyway even if Cuddy, for sure, would be against firing him. If Foreman didn't even seem sorry for what he'd said and done, House was going to make his life miserable. Obviously, that was something which he was truly able to do.

House decided that he had waited long enough. He didn't want to leave the kid behind, but he feared that Chase was going to try and change his mind and distract him with sex again if he knew about his plans. House got dressed and put on his shoes and his jacket. Before leaving the apartment to go find Foreman, though, he went back into the bedroom as he wanted to make sure that Chase was sound asleep.

House sat down at the bedside and pulled a blanket over the sleeping Wombat so that his shoulders were covered. He didn't want him to catch a cold on top of everything. However, he quickly came to regret this; suddenly, Chase stirred and before House could even think of a way to flee the room, he'd opened his eyes. The kid looked up immediately to meet House's staggered gaze.

"House?" He asked, his accent thick and his voice full of wonder. He offered his boss a calm smile, but then he noticed that he was wearing his jacket. "Are you going somewhere?"

Suddenly, Chase sat up in the bed. He felt terrified and simply scared out of his wits and he wasn't doing a great job hiding it either. Was House leaving him again? Had he not enjoyed the sex after all? He could have sworn that House was aroused the entire time and had been equally excited. Oh bloody hell – Chase realized that there might even be another reason for him leaving. What if House was angry with him for blacking out? Did he assume that he had fallen asleep because he was bored or something?

"Crap, you _are_ leaving!" Chase's eyes revealed a sudden sense of panic. "Wait, please don't go! I swear I didn't fall asleep on you. I don't know what happened exactly, but I really was enjoying it the whole time…"

"Calm down," House interrupted him and he reached out to touch his shoulder, "first of all, that was the best sex I've had in my entire life so you have nothing to worry about. Secondly, I know you didn't fall asleep on me. You fainted from exhaustion which is understandable when you consider the state you're in today. Besides, I said I was going to fuck you senseless. I'm just that good, I suppose!"

House was obviously being smug, but Chase only felt relieved. He couldn't contain a small smile, especially when House had described it as the best sex he'd ever had.

"You are going to tell that to everyone, aren't you?" Chase giggled. "That you fucked me unconscious?"

"Oh damn right I am!" House chuckled devilishly. "I should get those words tattooed on my forehead actually! But while we're at it, there is a third thing that I want you to know. You don't ever have to be nervous, okay? I already told you, I'm not walking out on you. Not ever. So don't get all panicky every time you see me leave the apartment. I promise I'll always come back!"

"All right." Chase whispered, feeling utterly stupid for having scared himself like that. "Thank you for reminding me. But if you're not leaving me, then where are you going now, House? Were you just going to disappear without waking me up? I mean, you said you would stay with me all day."

Chase didn't want to seem overly attached, but he knew House. He could tell that he was keeping something from him this very second and he didn't want any secrets to come between them, even if they seemed insignificant.

House padded his shoulder with a patient smile. "You're right – I did say that I would stay with you all day and I meant it. I was just… I was just going out to get us something to eat. I didn't think you'd wake up until I was back again."

Chase felt like he'd been caught in a dilemma. He knew that this was a lie, but he didn't want to anger House by being too stubborn.

"House, please," he pleaded, revealing how uncomfortable he felt all of a sudden, "I have a feeling that's not entirely true. If you don't want to tell me what you were going to do, I can live with that. But please don't lie to me."

House nodded. Now it was his turn to feel like an idiot. He looked at his Wombat and he knew that there was only one thing to do. Chase cared so much. House was so lucky to have found someone who actually gave a damn about the decisions he made. He would be a fool to ignore Chase's concern and keep him in the dark.

"I was going to see Foreman." He then admitted, breaking all eye contact. "I can't keep ignoring the things he did to you. I need to make sure that he regrets it and that he won't ever do anything like it again."

Chase sighed. He had had a feeling that this would be about Foreman. He still didn't know how to deal with him. He could barely bring himself to think about it. He continued to feel humiliated every time he was reminded of the episode.

Suddenly, he leaned forward and hugged House tightly. "Thank you for wanting to defend me," he said in a shaky voice, "but I don't know if I'm ready to face him. It all seems so embarrassing. I really wish that we could just forget that it ever happened."

House broke the hug almost immediately. "You know I can't forget about it. Not until I know for sure that he won't ever hurt you again. Look, I understand that you are not ready to face him. But that's why I was going to see him on my own. Just let me do it, all right? I promise I will come back to your place afterwards."

"No." Chase shook his head lightly and he knew that he sounded stubborn again, but he just couldn't help it. "No, I'm going with you. If you really must talk to Foreman today, I have to come too. It means a lot that you care so much, House, but I am not going to hide behind you. I don't want him to think that I'm _that_ weak."

"Chase, listen, I can understand that you want to stand up for yourself. But you just fainted for crying out loud! I'm not sure that you should even get out of bed right now."

"I only fainted because you rocked my world!" Chase kissed House's cheek. "Anyway, I feel just fine now. I think I would benefit from the fresh air as well. Just give me ten minutes, all right? I'll get ready to go with you."

Weirdly enough, it was only now that Chase had become aware of the fact that he was still naked, whereas House was fully dressed and ready to go. He could still smell the sex on his own body. All he wanted to do was to lie back in the bed with House and forget about the rest of the world. He didn't want to be reminded of the existence of other people. He wanted House to himself; he wanted to kiss and cuddle and spend the evening laughing together, watching random TV shows.

Instead, though, he forced himself to get out of the bed. "I should go get cleaned up, but I won't be long. Just promise you'll wait for me, all right? Don't even think about leaving without me."

House chuckled at this. "I wouldn't dare. It's not like I can outrun you, anyway!"

Chase merely offered him a wry smile before disappearing into the bathroom.

Fifteen minutes later, the two of them were walking down the stairs, exiting the building. House was leaning on to Chase as they reached the first floor. (He hated to admit it, but the stairs were still killing him). He was glad that Chase was so willing to support him, even though it made him feel guilty. He knew that getting out of the apartment was probably more than Chase had been prepared for. He even had that look of dizziness on his face.

As they walked out on the street, Chase covered his eyes with his hand for a short moment. He seemed much sensitive to the sharp sun light. As soon as he got over being blinded, he moved to stand in front of House as if he wanted to stop him from going any further.

"Are you sure that this is what you want to do?" He asked him in a serious and slightly concerned voice. "Are you absolutely sure that now is the right time?"

House sighed, but did his best to remain patient. "I just got all the way down the stairs, kiddo! I'm not going up again just because you changed your mind!"

"I didn't change my mind as such," Chase shrugged, "I just thought that there are other ways to spend the rest of our today together. Better ways. I mean, we could go for a walk. Or we could go out to eat in a restaurant if you're hungry."

"Oh please, you would throw up just looking at the food!" House chuckled. "Admit it, you don't really want to go out and eat. You're just stalling because you're nervous."

"It's not just that," Chase assured him, "I would just rather spend some more time alone with you. Tell me, wouldn't it be nice to just enjoy each other's company and forget about everything else?"

"You're such a romantic!" House smiled and wrapped an arm around his waist to pull him closer. "In all honesty, I would love to spend more time with you – alone and preferably in the bedroom, too. But I just can't focus until I've dealt with Foreman."

"Not even if I distract you a little bit?" Chase offered him one of his most charming smiles and he wrapped his arms around House's neck. He could tell that this move was working.

"You're so mean." House breathed, but he didn't sound annoyed with him at all. Instead, he allowed Chase to get closer and as a result of the bodily contact, they began to kiss each other in a rather tender manner, considering the fact that they were now in a public space.

"Are you still thinking about Foreman?" Chase asked him with a grin, still kissing him. "Or did I make you forget about him?"

"Oh you definitely made me forget about him," House admitted and allowed Chase to kiss him for as long as he liked, "but I'm still going to see him."

Chase pulled back immediately. "Seriously? And there is nothing I can do to change your mind, is there?"

House wanted to give in, just to make Chase kiss him again. Of course he would rather spend the rest of the day in peace with his wonderful Wombat. But he couldn't allow himself to be this weak. He was supposed to be determined this time. He simply _had_ to protect Chase by telling Foreman to back the hell off. It seemed like the kid had never really stood up for himself, so House was pleased to know that this would be _his_ job from now on.

"Sorry, no. I have to defend you, Chase. I have to make sure that you will be safe from now on because I just can't stand to see you get hurt again. All right?"

Chase thought about it for a moment. He decided that he was even crazier about House now that he had been reminded of the fact that he was looking after him like no one else had ever cared to do it before. He nodded and offered him a grateful smile. "All right."

He kissed the older doctor once again, just to demonstrate the appreciation. And House was so thrilled by this that he pulled him even closer.

"Thank you, House. I'm ready to go when you are." Chase let go of House's neck and let his arms down. House grabbed a better hold of his cane and nodded, meaning that he was ready to go, too.

However, just as they meant to cross the street, a tall man was walking right behind them. He'd been watching them ever since they walked out on the street. It was almost as though he had been expecting them. He was surprised to find that the blond, handsome doctor wasn't alone, but that he was with another man - probably someone from the hospital, too, he estimated. When he had seen them kissing, he could almost feel his stomach turn. Not out of disgust or outrage, but of jealousy. What the hell was the young, attractive doctor doing with the older man when he was supposed to be fair game?

The tall man was once again wearing his characteristic black coat – the same coat that he had been wearing on his date with Lisa Cuddy. He decided to approach the two men as soon as they stopped kissing each other. He could tell that they meant to cross the street, so he quickly made sure to get behind the young man. Before they even noticed his presence, Mr. Johnson reached out and grabbed the ass of his newest crush. (He had had many).

Chase let out a surprised noise when he felt the move that had been made on him all of a sudden. He also yelped when he could feel the strong fingers pinch him – it actually hurt a little bit. He turned around to look at House, but he realized that his companion had kept his hands to himself all along. Instead, he caught a glimpse of someone else who was practically breathing him in the neck now.

Chase's yelp had made House turn around as well. Chase didn't utter a single word, but he looked fairly shocked. House saw the tall man in the black coat standing close behind his Wombat and just like that, he was able to piece it all together. It was obvious that this man had touched his Wombat against his will.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" House shouted at him, expecting him to run away like a common coward. "Keep your hands to yourself, you pervert!"

Mr. Johnson merely smiled at House's angry outburst as if he found this amusing. But then again, he had fully convinced himself that the blond doctor didn't mind his approaching him. He honestly thought that he would be allowed to continue as soon as he had gotten rid of the grumpy, yet sexy man with the cane.

"It's okay," Mr. Johnson muttered and added a crazed laugh, "I know him."

In all his confusion, House turned to Chase. "Is that true? Do you know this creep?"

Chase tried hard to swallow the lump in his throat. "House, that's Cuddy's stalker. Mr. Johnson, I think." He tried to muffle his own voice by reducing it to a mere whisper, but he was certain that Mr. Johnson had heard every word. The tall man smiled at him with a dreaming look on his face.

"What?!" House exclaimed. "Is _that_ Cuddy's stalker? The one who punched you to the ground and gave you a concussion?"

"I didn't mean to hurt him!" Mr. Johnson suddenly added and he seemed frustrated by House's accusing tone. "It was a touch of love and admiration. He is such a pretty man, don't you think? I'm so over Lisa Cuddy – I want _him_ now!"

Chase's eyes widened when he heard this and his entire body became very stiff. He couldn't deal with this man. Not again – and certainly not today. He didn't mean to leave it up to House to protect him, but he was unable to speak his mind and chase away this crazy person. All of a sudden, he didn't know how to stand up for himself.

"Too bad, you can't have him!" House cried out irritably. "You are one crazy son of a bitch, you know that? I should punch you in the face like you punched him, right here and right now. I swear I will do it if you don't leave us alone this very instant!"

Mr. Johnson chuckled. "You don't mean that. What's with all the anger? I just want to show this man my love for him. What do you have against that?"

"I will show you what I have against that! And I will use my fist to demonstrate…" House knew that he was losing all self control, but he didn't care. He had wanted to kick this bastard's ass ever since he had found Chase unconscious on the floor and with a red mark on his jaw.

"No, House, please stop…" Chase grabbed a hold of House's hand before his boss could deliver any proper punches. "I don't want any trouble. Let's just walk away from him, all right?"

"No way," House argued, "he deserves to be taught a lesson or two! I'm sure that Cuddy would agree with me on this one, actually."

Chase leaned in to whisper in House's ear: _"Just let it go. I don't think he's mentally stable."_

House knew that this could very well be true. In fact, this man might even be mentally ill. But he still felt that walking away from him would be too easy.

The tall man interrupted his chain of thoughts. "You can't just leave me! Please, I've been waiting for you all day long."

"Great!" House sighed. "Now he's stalking you instead of Cuddy."

Chase felt utterly uncomfortable, but he still turned to face Mr. Johnson. "Stop following me and please, stop waiting for me outside my apartment. I'm only interested in this man right here!"

"That's right!" House added and wrapped an arm around Chase. "You heard him – piss off!"

"No – no!" Mr. Johnson started protesting heatedly now. "Don't leave me! How can you choose him over me? No one ever chooses me - it isn't fair!"

"Sorry," Chase said and tried to shake the bad feeling that he had, "but we are leaving now."

He and House began to walk away from the infuriated man, but Mr. Johnson didn't give up this easily. He ran to catch up with them and as soon as he did, he grabbed Chase's arm from behind and started pulling him backwards.

"You're coming with me," he breathed in his ear, "whether you like it or not. I don't like it when people turn me down for no good reason!"

"Let go of him right now!" House smacked his hands away, using his cane. Apparently, this was a pretty efficient weapon. Mr. Johnson let go immediately.

"You are going to regret that," he warned House, "you are both going to regret being so rude to me!"

And with those words, the man began to call out several names which House and Chase had never heard before. Apparently, Mr. Johnson had been more prepared than they thought. Two men appeared from around the corner of the building. Both men were tall and muscular and they walked with neutral facial expressions which revealed no thoughts whatsoever. It looked like the creep had actually hired people to assist him. He really was mentally ill, it appeared.

"Don't worry," House said when he saw the two men approaching them, "I won't let them harm you in any way. Just stay focused – it must be possible to reason with them somehow."

Chase wanted to agree with him, but he wasn't sure that he could. In all honesty, though, he didn't worry about what they were going to do to him. Rather, he was afraid that they would try and do something to harm House. And that seemed so much worse.

"Last chance," Mr. Johnson smiled psychotically and pointed a finger at Chase, "come with me. I got my car parked right over here."

Chase could see a black Ford which had been parked right outside his building. It was parked next to House's car. The worst part was that this car had probably been parked here since last night, although he couldn't exactly remember. Either way, there was no way that he was going to drive off with this man.

"No thank you." He said and held his breath for a moment. "I don't want to go anywhere with you."

At first, Mr. Johnson almost seemed to accept this answer. But then he quickly changed his mind and he waved at the two men who had joined them.

"All right," he said, "have it your way. I will have to force you to come with me, then." He took a good look at both Chase and House. "It's a shame, though. You are both sexy people. I wish that I could keep both of you, but unfortunately I only need one person in my life." He locked his eyes with House this time before turning to the men by his side. "Help me get rid of the one with the cane!" He ordered. "He's a true trouble maker!"

House couldn't help but to smirk when he heard this. Even at a time like this, being provocative was just too tempting. "Oh yeah? You are just scared because you know that I'm a potential threat to you and your wicked games!"

Mr. Johnson ignored this comment and within a second, the large men had approached House. One of them stole the cane out of his hands and the other one pushed him over and forced him down on the ground by kicking him.

"_No!"_ Chase screamed at the top of his lungs when one of these gigantic men grabbed him and tried to pull him towards Mr. Johnson's car. "Leave him alone! Please don't hurt him – how can you do that to a crippled man, you bastards?"

The man kept pulling him towards the car, but Chase struggled with all his might. He was ready to put up a fight – he refused to be separated from House like this. When Mr. Johnson saw how he objected, though, he rushed to assist the large man. He grabbed one of Chase's wrists and pulled him away from House who remained on the ground.

"You are getting into my car right now," Mr. Johnson breathed heavily, "don't be so stubborn!"

Chase started shouting House's name out loud. He managed to turn around so that he could catch a glimpse of House. The older doctor was now on his knees, but then the third man kicked him right in the stomach to make him fall over again.

"Don't hurt him! I'm begging you, please don't hurt him!" Chase kept repeating the words in a most pleading manner. "Just let him go – he didn't do anything to deserve this!"

Mr. Johnson had the giant man slapping Chase across the face when he got tired of his complaining. It felt like a forceful punch and for a few seconds, Chase nearly blacked out from the pain all over again. He almost lost all ability to resist – he was being dragged closer and closer towards the awaiting car.

"Just shut up and do as I say," Mr. Johnson hissed, "or I will hurt you even worse than your little friend over there."

**To be continued… **


	18. Chapter 18

Foreman was on his way to Chase's apartment.

He had barely been able to work all day. He was too distracted and too caught up thinking about everything that had happened between him and Chase. He hadn't been able to sleep at night either. He felt guilty and this surprised him a great deal. From the very beginning, he had told himself that he had been right to teach Robert Chase a lesson. He honestly thought that the kid had deserved it. He had been too oblivious and too obsessed with his own popularity. He had done Foreman wrong by never noticing him.

But now, Foreman was having second thoughts. He had never suspected that he would actually get so angry and lose control of his own actions. It had never been his plan to level Chase with the ground and attack him as such. He had never meant to get _physical _with him. He thanked the Lord that he had stopped himself just in time. After all, it could have gone so much worse if he hadn't come to his senses. Foreman could have made himself a criminal – a filthy rapist. That was something he would always feel ashamed of, even if it hadn't happened.

And now, he wanted Chase's forgiveness. The regret and the shame nearly drove him insane and he couldn't stand it anymore. He knew that he and Chase would probably never be friends again – he had ruined that chance for himself, for sure. But at least he wanted them to be able to work together again. He didn't want Chase to hate him or be afraid of him.

Foreman swore that he was going to make it all right again. He wanted Chase to know that he would never bother him or lay a finger on him again. No one should ever have to live in fear. Life was too short for that.

However, Foreman never knew just _how_ he was going to make it all right again. He had no idea about the scene that was taking place in front of Chase's apartment. Not until he arrived there himself.

Mr. Johnson and one of the large men were still dragging Chase away from House, even though the young Australian was protesting heavily. He was kicking and screaming, hoping that this would make them let go of him, but nothing seemed to work.

Chase yelled out House's name for the tenth time. He was desperate to see if he was okay. He knew that the other large man had been kicking him in order to keep him down on the ground. Bloody hell, what if House had been kicked in his thigh? Would he ever be able to walk again? Chase could barely bring himself to think of the consequences.

"Keep your eyes on me, not on him!" Mr. Johnson spat at him angrily when he realized that he didn't have Chase's full attention.

"No wait, you don't understand," Chase objected and struggled to free himself, "he's got a bad leg. You must be careful. Please don't hurt him, I will do anything…"

"Oh I'm sure you will," Mr. Johnson laughed evilly, "but I can't promise you that we won't hurt your friend over there. He is in my way, you see. He tricked you into believing that you belong with him instead of me! We can't have that, can we?"

"But I do belong with him!" Chase shouted angrily. "You, on the other hand, can go to hell for all I care!"

This remark earned him another forceful slap across the face. This time, he blacked out for a few seconds and his body became slack. The large man practically carried him all the way to the car.

"Wait a second," Mr. Johnson said and signalled that Chase shouldn't be put in the car just yet, "I want him to see this. I want him to see how weak his little _friend_ is."

The large man nodded and started shaking Chase in order to make him regain consciousness. Then he held the Australian's arms locked in a tight grip behind his back, ensuring that he wouldn't be able to go anywhere. Chase opened his eyes again, but it took him another while before he could see. If the man hadn't been holding his arms in a tight grip, he would have fallen to the ground for sure. He felt like throwing up…

Mr. Johnson moved to his side instantly and decided to take advantage of the situation. He licked Chase's cheek, slowly and with great pleasure.

"Oh, you're just delicious," he smiled, "I can't wait to get a better taste of you later."

Chase gulped and tried to back away from him, but he couldn't even move an inch. Not without the larger man's permission, anyway. He winced when he felt his arms being twisted backwards even harder.

"Now, hold still," Mr. Johnson grabbed a hold of Chase's chin so that he could force the kid to look exactly where he wanted him to look, "you really need to watch this. I don't want you missing out on a single thing, my dear."

He pointed towards the other large man who was still towering over House. House was helplessly on the ground and the discomfort was painted all over his face.

"What are you going to do to him?" Chase started to bellow. "What are you punishing him for? He didn't do anything wrong!"

"I disagree." Was all Mr. Johnson had to say to that.

And then the kicking started again. House was kicked in the stomach, in his ribs, in his hip and almost in his face as well, if he hadn't been protecting himself with his hands. He let out a loud grunt when, eventually, the large man's boot hit him in the crotch, too.

"No, stop!" Chase kept struggling to free himself. "You can't do this to him!"

"Oh, but I can," Mr. Johnson smiled, "why would you pick anyone else over me anyway? I just don't get it."

"Because you're a psychopath, that's why!" Chase knew that he shouldn't tempt fate like this, but he couldn't contain his anger. This man had been out to injure House and it was killing Chase to think that he didn't yet know if he had succeeded in doing so or not.

"You know, my dear, I don't like your tone. I'm starting to think that you don't appreciate me the way I appreciate you." Mr. Johnson took another hold of his chin and he forced Chase to look him in the eyes. "I will give you one last chance, pretty boy. You have to choose between him and me right now. Do you understand?"

Chase nodded.

"Good. Now, what's it gonna be? Him or me?"

Chase's gaze sought House one more time. He could see him on the ground, holding both arms over his stomach. He wasn't being kicked anymore, but it was obvious that he was in pain. Chase knew that there was only one right answer to this question, but he feared that the truth would have consequences.

"I choose him." He whispered. "I'm sorry, but that's my final answer."

Mr. Johnson hesitated for a second. "Wrong answer." He muttered. And before Chase could even react, he was punched right above his jaw – same spot as last time. He lost all sense of balance as the large man behind him let go of his arms, only to push him into the car and down on the back seat. Mr. Johnson was quick to switch places with the large man. He moved inside the vehicle himself, immediately pinning Chase down on his back. "You are going to regret making such a stupid decision." Mr. Johnson hissed in his ear. And then he moved his hands to Chase's neck as he was suddenly determined to strangle the life out of him.

House had seen the men forcing Chase down onto the back seat of the car. Now it was his turn to start yelling heatedly and plead for them to leave him alone.

"What the fuck are you doing to him?" He shouted from the top of his lungs. "Leave him alone, you bastards!"

He was determined to put all effort into getting up from the ground, even though his body was hurting all over. However, he only managed to get up on his knees before the other man decided to grab his shoulder and twist his arm backwards.

"You are not going anywhere!"

House tried to fight against it, but in the end he let out an aching scream and let himself be pushed down on the pavement. He scratched his entire forehead on the ground and the blood began to drip from his eyebrow.

Foreman arrived just in time to see this. And even though he was horrified to find House being attacked like this, he decided to act quickly. There wasn't even time to think.

House was trying to wipe the blood away from his own eye when he heard Foreman's angry, deep voice cut through the uncomfortable silence of an almost abandoned street:

"_Step away from him right now, or I'm gonna cut your eyes out, one by one!"_

What the hell? What on earth was Foreman doing here? If House hadn't known his employee's voice so well, he wouldn't have believed it for even a second that Eric Foreman would come to someone's rescue. But he actually did.

House looked up to see that Foreman was facing the two large men. He was holding a small, shiny object in his hand. His scalpel.

"I swear to God, I'll use this to cut you both open if you don't back the hell away!" Foreman added in a strange, menacing tone. "I've used this before so I know what I'm talking about. I've already called the police so I suggest that you make a run for it now!"

Strangely enough, this seemed to be working perfectly. It wasn't that the two men seemed particularly scared of Foreman and the small, yet sharp scalpel, but House figured that they both desired to stay out of trouble. Especially the idea of the police being on the way made them look hesitant and almost regretful, too. Before Foreman could add another word, they both took a few steps backwards before running away in the opposite direction.

"What the hell happened?" Foreman asked House and bowed down to help his boss get back on his feet. "Are you okay?"

House groaned and batted Foreman's hands away when he tried to touch his bleeding forehead. "Don't waste any time on me, you moron – one of them has trapped Chase inside that car and I have no idea what he's doing to him!"

Foreman immediately ran towards the car without further questions. The door to the back seat was still open. He could see that a strange man wearing a big coat was lying on top of Chase who was clearly wriggling to get free. For a moment, Foreman was so horror-stricken that he nearly forgot to breathe. Was this man attacking Chase like Foreman himself had tried to attack him? He felt extremely guilty. He had never realized how much fear his own actions might have brought on. Now that he could see his team mate being attacked by someone else, he finally understood how wrong and sick it was to pin someone down and lay hands on them against their will.

However, he quickly discovered that Chase wasn't just being attacked by this man by being held captive. The man was trying to strangle him! Foreman could now see the angry hands around his neck and he could hear the strange man groaning while Chase tried to gasp for air without success. Just a second later, Chase stopped moving all at once; Foreman realized that he had lost consciousness as his body was no longer resisting. This didn't make the strange man stop, however, it only made him laugh as though the idea of killing Chase was the funniest thing in the world to him. Foreman knew that he had to do something, or his Australian colleague would soon be dead.

"Let go of him!" Foreman shouted and decided to take the man completely by surprise. "Get off of him right now, you son of a bitch!"

He noticed that the man jumped – he was obviously shocked to hear someone else interfering. But before he could respond to Foreman's demands, Foreman planted the scalpel deeply into the man's leg and this earned him a loud howl of pain.

"If you don't let go of him right now, I'm gonna stab you in your other leg as well!" Foreman threatened.

The man let go of Chase's neck immediately, trying to grab his own bleeding leg instead. "What the hell did you do to me?" He shouted out in all his frustration. "Look at all that blood!"

"Yeah I know, poor you, right?" Foreman grabbed the man by his ankles and he started to drag him out of the car and away from Chase who was still not moving. When he got him out, he angrily pushed him over so that he landed painfully on the ground, hence giving him the same treatment as the large men had given House.

House was in serious pain and he was still not sure that he was able to stand up on his own. But when he saw Mr. Johnson being dragged out of the car and dropped on the ground like that, he gathered enough strength and will power to grab his cane and crawl all the way over there. Before Mr. Johnson saw him coming, House whacked him in the head with his cane and it was forceful enough to make him black out.

In the meantime, Foreman was now half inside the car, hovering over Chase who wasn't responding to his voice.

"Crap!" He muttered as he decided to check the kid's pulse. He was shocked to find that it was non-existing. "Oh shit, this can't be happening!"

Foreman gently lifted Chase's limp body out of the car and let him down on the ground. Then he immediately hovered over him again and began to perform CPR. Holding his hands over Chase's heart and adding pressure, he prayed that it was not too late. He couldn't die like this! Foreman would never forgive himself if he had been too late to save him - or if Chase disappeared from this world without knowing how sorry he was for everything. The thought was unbearable.

House had been busy punching Mr. Johnson and calling the police, but now he turned around to see his Wombat on the ground and Foreman on top of him. His heart nearly stopped when he saw that Foreman bowed down to press his own mouth against Chase's. As a doctor, he would normally be able to comprehend what was really going on, but his head hurt like hell and his hate towards Foreman had practically twisted his mind.

"Foreman, what the hell do you think you're doing? Leave him alone, you bastard! How dare you take advantage of him again? I swear, I will end your life…"

"Shut up, House!" Foreman cried out furiously and he began to press down on Chase's chest again. "Can't you see what's going on?" He pressed an ear to the chest to see if the heart had started beating again. It hadn't.

When Foreman pressed his mouth against Chase's once more in order to fill his lungs with air, House finally understood what was happening. Oh god, it couldn't be true… House dropped his cane right on the spot and he thought that he could feel the earth shattering underneath him. His Wombat wasn't breathing! Those men had killed his Wombat!

"Chase!" He began to scream his Wombat's name repeatedly. "Foreman, what the hell did they do to him?"

"They… They tried to strangle him!" Foreman breathed heavily and kept on adding pressure to his colleague's chest. "House, I still can't get his heart started. You need to… You need to call an ambulance right now, okay?"

House reached out for his cell phone, but he thought that it would be physically impossible for him to even speak. His Wombat was dying right in front of him. He hadn't been able to save him. Oh bloody hell, House would never forgive himself for this…

**To be continued…**


	19. Chapter 19

"_Chase, can you hear me? Stay with me, man!"_

Foreman kept struggling to bring Chase back to life. He kept telling himself that he couldn't be dead or even dying – it just didn't seem possible. How long had he gone without oxygen? How come he couldn't breathe on his own?

Foreman shouted again: _"Chase, you can't give up now, do you hear me?"_

As soon as House had finished the call for an ambulance, he forced himself to rush over to his Wombat's side, even though it took him more hobbling than actual walking. He had a throbbing pain in both his thigh and his knee. The blood was still dripping from his forehead and he felt dizzy.

"Foreman," House breathed as he could feel the lump in his throat grow bigger, "how..."

"I don't know yet, House."

"What do you mean you don't know? Are we going to lose him or are we not?" House was both impatient and hysterical now, and this wasn't something which Foreman appreciated.

"His heart has stopped and he's not breathing!" Foreman huffed. "You know damn well what will happen if I don't get it started again. Give me some space, House!"

Foreman continued to press down on the Wombat's chest, using so much strength. And House was surprised to realize how brutal it looked. He had performed CPR on dying patients a hundred times before, yet this seemed like the first time he really understood what this procedure was actually _doing_ to the victim. Foreman's hands were strong and persistent and Chase's pale chest seemed so frail and vulnerable. His body jerked every time Foreman pressed down on the heart, and House was certain that several of his ribs had already been broken by now.

Yes, it looked so brutal… It was like watching his Wombat taking a beating that just went on and on. It was cruel, it was merciless and it was so… life-determining. House couldn't stand it. All he wanted was for his Wombat to make a sound or open his eyes so that Foreman could finally take his hands off of him and let him heal in peace.

But what if that wasn't going to happen? What if Chase wasn't going to be brought back?

"No, this can't be happening…"

House fell down on his knees, landing hard right next to his Wombat. He could feel his legs shaking and his pulse raising. His one eye was twitching and he had trouble catching his breath. He felt both feverish and nauseous. If Chase didn't make it, House thought that he, too, would simply die on the spot.

"House, don't do that," Foreman told him with clenched teeth as he was still working on his Australian colleague, "you have to be careful. You may have suffered injuries to your leg that we don't know of yet."

"I don't care!" House exclaimed in a voice that Foreman had never heard before. "I honestly couldn't care less about what will happen to me, do you hear me? If I lose him, nothing will ever matter to me again!"

Foreman took a quick look at his boss to see if he was serious. This didn't sound like House at all. Since when did he care so much about the life of another human being? And since when did he actually care enough to express his concern in front of other people?

"You idiot!" House shouted when he noticed that Foreman was looking at him instead of Chase. "Keep your attention on him! If he dies because you're distracted, I will break your neck!"

Foreman hadn't let go of Chase for even a second; he knew better than to get distracted in a situation like this. He ignored House's threats as an idea had popped into his head.

"You care about him," Foreman said and he sounded both surprised and confident in his own words, "he's not just a random employee to you, is he? That's why you acted out like that in your office and started screaming at him and doctor Wilson. You were jealous because you care about him!"

House offered Foreman a murderous glare. "That doesn't concern you. I don't have to answer to any of your stupid questions!"

Foreman decided to take this as a yes. He could barely believe it. House was actually letting his emotions show. How long had he felt this way about Chase? How come he hadn't seen any of the signs before?

"Does he care about you too?" Foreman asked him bluntly. He knew that it would be difficult to get an honest answer out of House, but this was absolutely crucial.

"What?" House looked at him as though he had lost his mind. "Foreman for god sakes, just do your job!"

"I _am_ doing my job!" Foreman cried out. "I'm doing all I can to save him. You need to answer me this, House; does he care for you too or not?"

"I – I… Why on earth are you asking me this?"

"You need to make physical contact with him, House. Right now. Take a hold of his hand or something." When House did nothing, Foreman added: "I'm not kidding, you really need to touch him. Talk to him as well and let him hear your voice. He needs to feel your presence and know that you are with him!"

House hated to admit it, but it actually made sense. He had seen entire families gathering around a sick or a dying patient at the hospital so many times and someone was always holding their hand or stroking their hair. It was such an efficient way of showing comfort and, naturally, affection as well. And House was willing to do anything as long as it resulted in Chase coming back to him.

"I'm surprised you even know how to show affection!" House knew that this comment was inappropriate and ill-timed, but he couldn't choose his own words.

He leaned forward and he took a hold of Chase's unresisting hand. He carefully squeezed it and brought his own lips down to kiss the back of the Wombat's hand. He stomach turned when he realized how cold it felt. He wanted to be angry at Foreman and take it all out on him, but he just couldn't do that now. Chase was lying lifeless in front of him and the clock was ticking… If anyone needed his full attention, it was his Wombat.

"House, please don't say that."

Foreman could tell that House knew about the things he had exposed Chase to the other day, otherwise he wouldn't be receiving all this pent-up hate from him. He meant to tell his boss that he was willing to receive his punishment when the right time came along, but that they couldn't fight about it here and now. Not like this. However, he soon found it needless to state his point as he realized that House had changed his behaviour.

House now ignored Foreman completely; he even managed to keep a straight face when Foreman bowed down to lock mouths with Chase in order to fill his lungs with air once again.

House had begun to stroke Chase's hair tenderly. It looked like he had forgotten about the rest of the world that moment. It had simply disappeared and only Chase remained.

"Can you hear me, baby?" House whispered the words as soothingly as he could. "I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere. I'm never leaving your side again. Please come back to me!"

Foreman pretended not to hear these words, but the truth was that he was utterly stunned. He had never known that House and Chase were this close and meant this much to each other. They had never actually shown it in public, had they? But then again, he knew that Chase had always been the first to agree with everything House said, even when it came down to their boss' most outrageous ideas and whims. It was a funny kind of loyalty, and yet it had always been there.

"House," Foreman interrupted his boss who was still whispering things in Chase's ear, "I-I'm afraid that this is getting critical."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that his heart should have started again by now. He hasn't been breathing for at least five minutes. I'm sorry, but at this point it is likely that he has already suffered some damage to his brain…"

"Stop it." House shook his head in a most denying manner. "I don't want to hear it. Keep going – he isn't gone. I would feel it if he was!"

"Look House, you know I don't want to give up on him, but I think you need to prepare yourself. We might not be able to save him unless the ambulance gets here real soon…"

"Just shut up, Foreman, you don't know anything for certain!" House knew that he was starting to become hysterical. Mainly because the doctor inside him knew that his own employee was right. If Chase hadn't been breathing for this long, things were truly beginning to get critical…

House couldn't bear to think of the possibilities he was facing. There was the risk of losing Chase altogether and then there was the risk of seeing Chase being brought back to a compromised life; he could easily have suffered injuries that could change his life and his person forever. He could even end up in a coma that only God knew if he would ever awake from again.

House's eyes had become watery, but he knew that Foreman wouldn't dare make a comment on it. "You were right before," House took a deep breath and squeezed Chase's hand one more time, "I need to make physical contact with him so that he knows I'm present. And while I do that, you don't give up on him for even a second, all right? Don't stop treating him unless I tell you to. I'm serious."

"All right." Foreman nodded and kept pressing down on his chest. He was beginning to doubt that Chase would ever respond to the treatment, but he knew that he owed it to his colleague to give it his best and fight for his life with all his might.

House was now stroking the pale cheeks carefully. He studied the Wombat with a growing lump in his throat.

"Chase, I know you're still there. I need you to fight, baby. You have to come back to me, okay? You know that I'm no good without you." House kissed the back of his hand again. "I know that you can hear me. Please come back to me…"

Still nothing. House moved aside a little bit so that Foreman could perform mouth-to-mouth on him again.

House began to panic. He thought to himself that it had been too long. He just knew it. It must have been almost seven minutes now. Chase was slipping further and further away from them…

"_God damn it, Chase, you have to listen to me!" _House cried out and shook his wrist a little bit. "I'm begging you, okay? I will do anything, just don't leave me like this…"

"House, it's been too long," Foreman warned him, though he kept on adding pressure, "you can't expect him to just recover at this point. I'm sorry."

"I told you to shut up and keep doing your job," House couldn't even look at Foreman now that he was welling up and losing all control of himself, "it is not too late. He's a lot stronger than you think."

House shook Chase's wrist one more time and let his hand rest against his own chest so that his fingertips were close to his beating heart. "Wake up, Robert!" House demanded him. He had never even called him by his first name before. "Please don't let it all end this way. Come back to me, Robert!"

Foreman let out a loud sigh. He felt exhausted and House's words only made it worse. He felt like lowering himself down to the ground in order to die. This was more than he could take. Chase had probably died on them at this point and he didn't want to keep torturing his poor broken body anymore… It all seemed too cruel.

"Come back to me!" House repeated firmly and wiped away the first tears. "Come back to me, Robert!"

Foreman struggled to keep a straight face even though it was killing him. "I'm sorry, House. I can't do this anymore. He's not going to make it. Too much time has passed."

He removed his hands from Chase's chest and got off of him. His arms were shaking and he was afraid that he was going to have a breakdown in front of House.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" House screamed at him. "You can't just give up on him like this. He deserves better than that, you son of a bitch!"

Foreman thought that House was probably right to take his sorrow out on him, so he didn't even take offense. He knew that he had done everything he could to save Chase, but he still felt guilty for being the one to tell House that it was too late.

"I should call time of death…" Foreman whispered and avoided House's look. "I'm sorry, truly."

"_Don't you dare!"_ House suddenly wrapped his arms around Chase's body and pulled him close, almost like a child who was holding on to a favourite toy which someone threatened to take away from him. "You do not get to call anything!" He added as he had gathered Chase in his lap.

He would never give up on the kid, never.

"House, I know how you must feel, but please try to be rational about this…"

Foreman kept on talking, but House didn't hear a single word. As soon as he had pulled Chase closer to him, he had felt something. Holding a hand over his Wombat's cheek, he was certain that he had felt something with his thumb – right below the jaw.

A pulse. A rather weak, but a very much existing pulse.

"Foreman, how many times do I have to tell you to shut up?" House shushed him angrily. "Get back over here – there's a pulse! I can feel a pulse!"

"Wait, what?" Foreman couldn't tell if House was just desperate or if he was actually right about this. Perhaps he was now imagining things. "Are you sure? Because I didn't feel anything…"

"Yes I'm sure!" House spat at him. "What kind of a doctor do you take me for? I'm your boss, remember!"

Foreman didn't reply to this. Instead, he got down on his knees once again and pressed an ear to the Australian's chest. For a moment his facial expression remained grave and sort of hopeless, but then House noted that he had raised his eyebrows and his entire expression changed; he looked both shocked and relieved.

"I – I can't believe it!" Foreman exclaimed and it almost looked like he was smiling, even if this was something which he would usually avoid. "House, you were right. I can actually hear his heart beating now!"

House wanted to sigh with relief, but he knew that this wasn't over yet. He had held his breath when Foreman tried to detect the heart beat and he thought that he had heard a strangely muffled sound coming from Chase's throat.

"I told you so," House muttered just as he turned to look Foreman in the eyes, "but I think he's having trouble breathing properly. He needs more oxygen right away!"

Foreman automatically bowed down to perform mouth-to-mouth again, but as soon as his lips had touched Chase's, House noticed that his Wombat had made his first movement; he had tried to turn his head away. Even though his slow attempt revealed his weakness, House picked up on the fact that he, apparently, had tried to get Foreman off of him.

"Wait! Foreman, stop!" House tried to make Chase sit up in a more upright position by letting his head rest against his own chest. Perhaps this would make it easier for him to breathe properly. "He turned his head away," House explained as soon as Foreman had backed away, "I think he is trying to breathe on his own!"

Foreman's eyes grew slightly bigger and both he and House were now looking expectantly at their colleague. They held their breaths as they waited; if Chase didn't regain his ability to breathe on his own real soon, Foreman would have to breathe into his mouth once again.

"Come on, Robert," House held a hand to the kid's forehead in order to check his temperature, "I know you can do this. I know you're strong."

Almost immediately after these words were spoken, Chase began to cough violently and House had to pull him closer in order to keep him in the right position. When the coughing fit continued without improving whatsoever, House feared that he was actually struggling against getting choked.

"Robert," House said out loud, "I'm right here. Just take it easy – I will not let anything happen to you, okay? Just try to calm down and take in small breaths."

Instead of trying to take in small breaths, though, Chase began to gasp for air and it finally sounded like he was successful in doing so; he was now starting to slip out of his unconsciousness and the more breaths he drew on his own, the more alive he looked. He was still awfully pale, but at least his body was no longer slack and unresponsive. Chase instinctively tried to raise a hand to his own injured neck which would soon reveal a pair of red, angry hand marks, however, he apparently ran out of energy before he could feel his aching throat.

House took a hold of Chase's hands, not because he wanted to hold them down as such but because he wanted his Wombat to save all his strength so that he could focus on the breathing instead. Chase began to utter small, unintelligible noises. It sounded like he was moaning and he began to turn his head sideways once more.

It looked like he was trying to escape the hands that had been choking him once again. House felt extremely worried by this; if Chase didn't know that the attack and the strangling had ended, he would soon begin to panic and, naturally, this could really do some damage to his breathing.

"At least he is able to act on his instincts." Foreman said, as he had been observing Chase's moves, too.

"No," House muttered, "this is not a good thing. He is starting to panic again. He thinks that he is still being choked because he can still feel the pain in his throat!"

"Crap!" Foreman nearly cursed himself for not being able to find more suitable words than this. "How do we keep him from panicking, then?"

"I don't know," House took in a deep breath, "I guess all we can do is try to calm him down!"

House truly wished that he could just be happy and relieved to see that Chase was alive and breathing again. However, he knew that he would stay scared and alarmed until he knew if his Wombat had suffered any injuries to his head or not. Those long minutes without oxygen could have done some serious damage, like Foreman had warned him. What if his intelligence had been compromised? Or his speech functions? Or something else?

Yes, House knew better than to act all relieved at this point. It certainly wasn't over yet.

Chase moaned again and let out a series of whimpers and grumbles to reveal his discomfort. House ran a caressing hand through the blond hair and tried to shush him, although this only resulted in Chase trying to turn his head away again.

"Calm down, babe, you don't have to be afraid anymore." House whispered the words in a most comforting manner. "It's okay, you are safe now. I am not going to let anything happen to you, trust me on that." When Chase whimpered again, House added: "I know it hurts, but you need to keep breathing, okay? Right now is not the time to get all freaked out!"

Foreman bit his lip whilst listening to House's soothing words. It was hard to see his own team mate like this – or in other words: It was hard to see the young man he had always admired so much being in this much pain. He felt guilty for not being able to make it stop.

"You know what I think?" Foreman asked House after having given it some thought. "I think he would find it easier to relax if he could just open his eyes and see you. I need to check his pupils anyway, remember."

House knew that this was true, but it might be easier said than done. "What are you going to do? Force his eyelids open?"

"I might have to if I don't get a reaction from him." Foreman shrugged.

He reached for the pocket in his shirt and he found the small light which he would normally use to check the reactions of the patients who had suffered some kind of trauma to the head.

"All right," House muttered, "go ahead if you think it could work."

Foreman tried to shine the light over Chase's closed eyelids, just to see if this would earn him any reaction whatsoever. When it didn't, he tried to force the one eye open and shine the light to see if the pupil reacted as it should.

"Well?" House asked him impatiently when Foreman said nothing at all.

"His pupils are very much dilated and I can barely get a reaction," Foreman suppressed a sigh of deep concern, "just let me try it one more time, all right?"

Foreman wanted to force the other eye open this time, however, Chase turned his head away from him before he could even lay a hand on him. Foreman thought that he would try to touch him more carefully this time, but Chase didn't allow him at all. He began to squirm in House's arms, and the more he moved the more pain he was in. House noticed that he winced and he wondered if the pain was coming from his throat or his chest. Probably both.

"Foreman, stop," House signalled that he needed to back off, "I think it's too much for him to handle right now!"

However, Chase kept twisting in House's arms even after Foreman had let go of him. His breathing began to sound troubled again as he let out a few noises that indicated his sudden pain.

"Easy," House wanted to whisper some comforting words in his ear again, but instead he had to struggle to keep his Wombat still, "you have to stop moving, Robert. We need to examine you, all right? We just want to make sure that you're okay. Neither of us wants to do you any harm…"

Incredibly, Chase stopped squirming almost immediately. It was as though he had heard his boss this time. He groaned one last time before trying to bat his eyelids open. It appeared to be a genuine struggle for him.

"I think… I think he's coming to his senses!" Foreman said and hovered over him, ready to shine the light in his eyes one last time if necessary. "House, I think he's nearly conscious now."

House held his breath. His hands were shaking and his eyes almost burning. It was time to see if his Wombat would wake up to be his own self or not. It was time to see if he would be getting his good old Robert Chase back – or if he was far gone…

"Chase!" Foreman determined that it was time to see if he would react to his own name. "Chase, open your eyes, man. Are you with us?"

After another short struggle, Chase finally managed to open his eyes even though he continued to blink almost manically. He looked so lost and so utterly confused like he had no recollection of where he was. House was still unable to breathe, although he had to admit that it was wonderful to see those beautiful blue eyes again…

"Great job!" Foreman smiled down at his colleague. "It's good to have you with us again. You do hear me, don't you?"

Chase merely blinked. He was now looking Foreman in the eyes, but his expression remained the same. It would be understandable if he found it too painful to utter a word in reply, but he didn't even try. He did nothing to communicate back to Foreman, and this had House all worried again.

"Chase, do you hear me?" Foreman decided to try again. "Can you understand what I'm saying?"

Nothing. Not a word, not a single gesture or simple a nod. Just nothing.

"Chase, can you hear me? Can you show me if you understand me or not? Try to blink your eyes if you understand what I'm saying."

Chase blinked.

"Great!" Foreman forced himself to smile down at him again. "Now, do you know where you are? Could you maybe try to say something? Anything will do."

Chase tried to move his hand to his throat, but his arms were still too weak. Instead, he tried to swallow a couple of times and he winced when he was overwhelmed by pain.

"It… hurts…"

His voice was shallow and raspy, but he had still managed to pronounce the two words perfectly and this was more than both Foreman and House had hoped for. He hadn't lost his ability to speak – this was wonderful news!

"I know it hurts," Foreman said and nodded compassionately, "just try to relax. We're getting you all the help you need. Tell me, Chase, do you remember why you're here? Do you know what happened to you? Is there anything you want to ask me?"

"Just… one thing…" Chase closed his eyes when the pain got worse and he tried to take a deep breath.

"Anything," Foreman nodded in order to encourage him, "ask me anything. What is it?"

Chase coughed a couple of times and struggled to keep calm, but he seemed determined to ask his only question. He spoke quietly in a soft voice and both Foreman and House kept silent in order to be able to hear and understand him.

"I was just… wondering… who you… are?"

Chase kept staring at Foreman who was now looking almost shattered. Then Foreman turned to look at House.

House had turned dead pale that very second. Now it was his turn to remain breathless.

No, this couldn't be happening. Oh God, this couldn't be true!

Chase had lost all memory of who they were. Maybe he _had_ suffered some serious damage to his head after all…

**To be continued**


End file.
